Feeling Lost
by onmyside
Summary: Mr. Bates had been arrested and awaits his trial. Anna only manages to stay strong because of the support she gets from Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes. And those two only manage because they remember their past... Hughes/Carson slight  Anna/Bates
1. Chapter 1

**Feeling Lost**

This is my first english fanfic ever! English is not my mother tongue. So please tell me if I've used completey wrong words and expressions or made too many mistakes :). Thanks! I'd really love to get your reviews on this first fanfic.

It's the first chapter, written on a Saturday afternoon. I do not yet know where this will all end up. Suggestions are welcome.

The story is set right after the last scene in season 02 / ep. 08. So there's spoilers for season two in this one.

**Note: I do not own any of the Downton Abbey characters! Julian Fellowes invented them and ITV network produces the show. **

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><p>Anna stood in the kitchen. Her chin quivered uncontrollably. She managed not to start crying right away but she couldn't stand on her own two feet for much longer. She felt that she might faint any minute. Those two police officers had just arrested the most important person in her life. It was as if they'd stabbed a knife in her chest, at least her heart felt like it has been stabbed several times. Her vision was blurred by unshed tears, the room started to turn…<p>

Mrs. Hughes somehow sensed Anna's distress. But she was still utterly shocked at the scene that had just happened right in front of her eyes in the staff's dining room. She saw the head housemaid turn white as a sheet; she saw how she tried to stay strong. And in the next minute she realized that Anna was about to faint. Mrs. Hughes was just alert enough to take two steps forward and grab Anna's arm before the housemaid collapsed. But her own constitution was not half as strong as it usually was so she really struggled to keep Anna upright. Luckily Mr. Carson had by then also noticed that there was more happening than just Mr. Bates being dragged away by the police. He came to rescue both women.

"Anna, Mrs. Hughes, I think it is best if we go to my parlor right now." He grabbed Anna's other arm. "And to all of you: We will sort things out but until then there's still plenty to do so please get ready and then prepare the funeral feast", he addressed the other staff members. Everybody woke from their numbness and hurried to their rooms to change into their working clothes again.

Mrs. Hughes placed Anna on her settee and sat next to her, comforting her as best as she could. Anna hasn't said a word yet and she still had shed no tears. "It's alright Anna. We will find a way to get Mr. Bates out of this. I promise!" Anna just looked at her hands. She was turning her wedding ring on her left ring finger with her thumb and index finger not noticing that Mrs. Hughes stared at it and then back at Mr. Carson who stood in front of them. At first the butler did not know what the housekeeper wanted to tell him when she raised her eyebrows and tilting her head towards Anna's hand. But then he also saw the glittering golden band on Anna's finger. When in god's name did Bates and Anna get married?

"Anna, did you hear me?" Mrs. Hughes tried to break the housemaid's state of shock.

Finally she looked up right into Mrs. Hughes face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She could no longer hold them back. "They just took him away. He is not a murderer", she whispered.

"We all know that. I can assure you that!" Mrs. Hughes put an arm around Anna's shoulders and finally the housemaid started to weep and put her head on the housekeepers shoulder sobbing uncontrollably.

"I will inform his Lordship immediately and see that we find a way to get Mr. Bates out of all of this trouble!" Carson felt the tension that was building up while the three of them were sitting in Mrs. Hughes parlor. He knew that he had to act fast and standing here made him nervous. He could not see women cry. "I guess they will be back from the graveyard by now." He could discuss the wedding ring later with Mrs. Hughes. Mr. Bates was more important now.

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><p>The family was indeed back by now. When Carson came upstairs, they were all standing in the great hall not sure what to do next. Everyone was completely lost in thought. Especially Matthew, who stood forlorn right next to the library door. Carson noticed that he was looking at Mary and Richard Carlisle who were standing next to Mrs. Crawley talking about something. But Matthew's expression was unreadable. Poor guy, he thought. He liked Matthew a lot and he always felt that he and Mary were a perfect match. But he also knew that it had always been hard for the oldest Crawley daughter to show and express what she really felt. Carson sighed and realized that he had been standing at the top of the staircase for much too long now. He looked out for Lord Grantham and when he finally spotted him in the crowd, Carson did no longer hesitate but went straight to his employer.<p>

"Ah, Carson there you are. Is everything ready? I know that you and the staff did not have that much time to prepare everything so I thought it would be best to gather everyone in the hall and wait until you gave us a signal." Lord Grantham said.

"Well, we are still preparing everything your Lordship. In fact I wanted to inform you about some other matter. A very important matter." Carson had the feeling that he was overheard by Lady Grantham while he talked to his Lordship so he kept his voice low. He did not want to cause everyone else also to worry.

"What has happened? You look very upset."

"It's Mr. Bates, your Lordship", Carson started. "The police waited for him while we all attended the funeral. They took him with them."

Lord Grantham's face froze. "That can't be true!" He spoke these words louder than he intended to. Immediately Lady Grantham was at his side.

"What's the matter my dear? Carson?" she noticed that both men looked rather distressed.

Carson wanted to avoid this situation but now there was no way out of it. He had to tell Lady Grantham. "Your Ladyship, Mr. Bates got arrested."

"Oh my god!" she took hold of her husband's arm. "Why?"

Now the whole party had noticed that there was something else going on besides their mourning. Mary and Sybil rushed to their mother's side. Carson now felt really uneasy and tried to get Lord Grantham out of the crowd. "Your Lordship I believe it would be best to go downstairs to discuss the matter further. I will send up Thomas and the others up to start with the dinner."

Lord Grantham nodded and followed his butler downstairs.

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><p><strong>Please tell me what you think! <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**So this is the second chapter then :). I could not stop writing although I don't yet know if you like it or not ;). Let me know what you think! (and English is not my mother tongue, so I'm sorry for the mistakes)**

**Note: I do not own any of the Downton Abbey characters! Julian Fellowes invented them and ITV network produces the show.**

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><p>Anna was still sitting on Mrs. Hughes settee but she had stopped crying finally. The housekeeper had offered her a small glass of brandy that Anna thankfully accepted. She sipped at the brandy while Mrs. Hughes thought about what to do next. She had to mention the ring somehow but did not want to upset Anna even more.<p>

"Anna. I think it would be best, if I bring you upstairs so that you can get some rest." This might be the best way to allow Anna to calm down and also be a possibility to talk to her in private. Everyone knew that she and Mr. Bates had been in love for quite some time. But why didn't Anna mention that they were married? She could at least have said something to Mr. Carson or to her. Mrs. Hughes would have been the last to stop Anna. In fact she reminded her of herself very much. And of a time long gone. A small sigh escaped her from deep within.

Anna had emptied the brandy glass by now. "Will you stay with me for a while, Mrs. Hughes?" her voice was very small. She was not her usual strong and confident self anymore.

"Sure I will." Mrs. Hughes helped the girl to stand up and as an exception to her usual rules, she took her left hand in hers not only to support her but also to cover the wedding ring. She knew she did the right thing when Lord Grantham and Mr. Carson appeared on the stairs while she was on her way up.

"Mrs. Hughes, Anna." Lord Grantham stopped right in front of them. "Tell me what has happened."

Anna looked down onto her feet. She could not face Lord Grantham. Not now. She could not even talk. All she wanted was to be alone in her room and cry.

Mrs. Hughes searched for the right words to cover for Anna and to be able to get her past his Lordship and upstairs to her room. "Excuse me your Lordship, but I think Anna really needs some rest. I will be back down in a minute."

"Of course", Lord Grantham replied thoughtfully. "Of course. Let her rest. I guess you and Mr. Carson also know about the matter and can give me an account of what has exactly happened?"

"Sure your Lordship. If you would not mind then I would suggest we go down to my parlor and discuss everything." Carson started to go further downstairs. While passing Mrs. Hughes he reassuringly tapped her shoulder. Something he always did when things were not going well. She answered with a slight smile.

Lord Grantham entered Mr. Carson's parlour while the butler made sure that the funeral meal was now served. He sent Thomas and Molesley up to serve at the table and sent some of the housemaids round with drinks to serve before the actual dinner started. Things were anyway a mess so Carson did not care if housemaids served at dinner today. He just wanted this day to be over soon.

Lord Grantham was standing right in front of Mr. Carson's old desk. "So Carson, what exactly has happened and when?" he asked after the butler finally came to see him.

"Right after we came back from the funeral we got informed that the police was waiting in the staff's dining room your Lordship. They were waiting for Mr. Bates." Carson couldn't believe that all of this has happened just an hour or so ago.

"Why? Is it about his wife?"

"Yes milord. You know that Vera Bates is dead?"

"Sure Carson. I know that much. Does the police think that John Bates murdered his wife?" Lord Grantham asked in disbelief.

"I'm afraid so your Lordship." Carson stopped after seeing that Lord Grantham's face turned white with anger. "They accuse him of having bought the rat poison on purpose. They believe that Mr. Bates has forced his wife to take the poison. She has obviously written a suicide note milord."

"I can't believe it!" His voice trembled. "Carson, did they say where they brought him?"

"To the Ripon police office your Lordship." Carson replied.

"Good. I know the chief there. And I will also call our lawyer, Mr. Murray. I'm sure we can get this accusation out of the way soon." Obviously Lord Grantham was more optimistic than the members of the staff. Mr. Carson was not at all sure that talking to the local chief of police or Mr. Murray could better Mr. Bates chances. It was a start for sure, but Carson had the strange feeling that there was more behind the murder charge than they all knew. He really hoped that Anna was alright and that she knew more details about Mr. Bates story.

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><p>Mrs. Hughes sat on a chair next to Anna's bed. The housemaid was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her eyes were dry by now and besides saying "Thank you, Mrs. Hughes", she had not spoken a word.<p>

"Anna, you know that we do not believe what the police said about Mr. Bates. But to help him I must know what has happened and I'm pretty sure you know more than we all do about Mrs. Bates death, do you?" she tried to get through to her.

Anna slowly turned her head to face the housekeeper and then she finally spoke. "I'm sorry Mrs. Hughes that we did not tell you the truth", she began.

"You are talking about the wedding my dear?"

Anna nodded. She decided that she would recount the whole story from the beginning to the end. Although her whole body ached from the fear of maybe having lost her loved one forever. "We decided to get married a while ago but as you know we could not be husband and wife unless Mrs. Bates finally signed the divorce papers."

Mrs. Hughes nodded knowingly.

"He tried so hard to convince his wife that it would be best for all of us, if she'd just let her husband go. But I guess Vera Bates was a really stubborn person." Although Anna would have liked to call Vera all sorts of names, she could not insult her now. Not in front of Mrs. Hughes and also because Vera was dead now.

"Stubborn is understated", Mrs. Hughes acknowledged. To her surprise, Anna smiled at her words and then went on with her story.

"Mr. Bates went to London one last time to talk to his wife but she would not listen. The next time he heard from her, she was dead", Anna ended her story having told Mrs. Hughes everything about the quarrel between Mr. Bates and his wife and about his try to force her into a divorce. That she took all his money and still would not cease to stop insulting her husband. In the end her death was a relief. Anna had to admit that.

"And when we heard that Vera was dead it was a relief at first but John knew that Vera would accuse him of having killed her." Anna wiped fresh tears from her cheeks. "That's when I decided to get married as fast as possible." She thought of the day when John had finally got the time and the date for their marriage and how happy she felt that he was so in love with her that he did not care about any upcoming ordeals.

"You wanted to be at his side", Mrs. Hughes was again reminded of the past and of a time when she would have done exactly the same thing but did not because she was too afraid of the consequences. She quickly blinked away these pictures and tried to shut them away. She faced the young housemaid again. "You wanted to be there for him in the worst case scenario."

"If I am just his _friend, _the police will not let me see him", Anna sobbed.

"When did you get married, Anna?" Mrs. Hughes gently touched her shoulder and tried to comfort Anna somehow.

"Last Friday." And I do not regret that! Anna thought. It was the most wonderful day of my whole life. And even if I will never see John again, no one can take these memories away from me. And somehow she felt a bit of her old strength return.

Mrs. Hughes was taken aback by that confession. "This last Friday? Now I know why you both where nowhere to be seen in the afternoon", she chuckled, trying to take away Anna's fear.

"We did tell no one except Lady Mary and Jane."

"Well and Lady Mary will surely not tell his Lordship about your marriage." Mrs. Hughes was sure of that. She had known Mary Crawley since she was a 6 year old girl. "So at least you don't have to worry about that."

Anna put a small smile upon her face. "Thank you Mrs. Hughes."

"But if I were you, I would take that ring off my finger!"

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><p>The rest of the day was rather normal compared to all the trouble it has caused in the early hours and during the afternoon. Carson was relieved when he found out that most of the family and friends of Lord and Lady Grantham had left right after dinner and that Thomas, Molesley and the housemaids had worthily done their work. Anna stayed upstairs in her room and Daisy was sent up to bring her some food in the late afternoon. Also, Lord Grantham had phoned Mr. Murray and summoned him to attend to Mr. Bates' case. For now, everything that could be done was done.<p>

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><p>He did not struggle. He knew that this would only make it worse. So he let the two policemen bring him out of Downton Abbey and to their parked motorcar just behind the servant entrance. They manoeuvred him onto the backseat and started the engine. After a seemingly endless drive they arrived in Ripon. John was pulled of the car with so much force that he toppled over and landed on his wounded knee. He let out a muffled scream of pain and was pulled up the next second. He did not have his cane to support his walk to he limped inside the police station, his knee a throbbing pain.<p>

Once inside one of the officers took finally off the handcuffs. But two other police men were holding both his upper arms. "John Bates?"

"Yes Sir", he replied.

"You are arrested for now. You will remove everything from your pockets and then we will put you into the cell over night. My officers have already read you your rights I guess."

"Yes Sir."

"Do you have anything to tell us, anything to object and brought forward to your defence?"

"No Sir".

"Very well. Then I will see you in the morning in front of the coroner."

John took everything out of his pockets. There was not much inside them anyway. But he carefully slipped his wedding ring onto his left ring finger instead of placing it into the wooden box in front of him. He had taken it off this morning to avoid curious glances. Anna had still worn her ring this morning and he reminded her of that but she just smiled at him, gave him a small kiss and went off to get changed for the funeral "I will wear gloves anyway, nobody will see it", she told him. His heart ached at the thought of this moment. He should not have let her into his life. He knew that he was only causing her trouble. Yet he had been unable to ignore her when he first came to Downton Abbey. He had never met such a wonderful person with such a big heart. And he had to admit that she was the first person on earth that made him happy. Really happy. A feeling he never experienced before in his whole life. So there was no way out of this dilemma. Loving her also meant that he had to hurt her.

They brutally threw him into a prison cell, shut the door behind him and left him lying on the floor in the dark.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading this and thanks for reviewing it! It really means a lot to me!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**The next chapter. It really gave me a headache and it took me sooo long to write this Elsie/Charles part. Kinda hard to think in German and then trying to put it into English ;).**

**Thanks for your wonderful reviews! They really helped! Hope you like this chapter.**

****Note: I do not own any of the Downton Abbey characters! Julian Fellowes invented them and ITV network produces the show.****

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><p>Mr. Carson was sitting at his desk, preparing the next day, when there was a knock at his door. "Come in."<p>

Mrs. Hughes' familiar face appeared a second later. "Are you still working?"

"Ah there you are", he rose from his chair. "You don't have to knock, you know that, do you?"

"Yes I know that but you cannot teach an old dog new tricks", she smiled at him and then took a seat on the chair right in front of his desk taking a deep breath before she went on. "We have to talk about Anna and Mr. Bates Charles."

He already thought so and was feeling a bit uneasy about the upcoming conversation because it reminded him of an episode in his life he had neatly stored somewhere in his brain and he usually only looked for this particular memory when he felt alone. "It's about the wedding ring I guess. Well, obviously we are getting old Elsie if we no longer notice what is happening around us."

"Ah, don't say something like this, Charles", she scolded him but with an amused smile on her face. "We are old already. We both know that. And there were so many things happening in the last few weeks that I was actually astonished how we kept our daily routine so efficient anyway."

"If you say so", he grumbled. He had to adapt to so many changes recently and his habitual routines and rules broke apart to a great deal so that he often felt lost. The world around him was changing faster than he could keep pace with.

"Let us not revive this old discussion please." They have had this quarrel for at least a dozen times already instead, Mrs. Hughes picked up her initial conversation. "I had a long talk with Anna this afternoon and obviously she and Mr. Bates got married last Friday."

This came as a shock. "Who knows about this? Did they tell someone about their plans?"

"Lady Mary knew and so did Jane." Mrs. Hughes looked down at her hands in her lap considering her next words. "Anna was afraid that if we had known about their plans we would have tried to convince her that a marriage between a housemaid and a valet was an unnecessary risk to take." She looked up from her lap and right into Mr. Carson's eyes. "To be honest, she was right about that. I would have talked her out of this."

Mr. Carson kept the eye contact for a while until he felt it was no longer suitable to stare at Elsie Hughes like this. He cleared his throat. "We both know that", he let the words sink in for a few seconds before he went on. "But I wonder why Lady Mary has not told us about their plans?"

"When it comes to keeping secrets, Lady Mary is the most reliable person."

"Well, obviously she is." He replied thoughtfully while he massaged his left temple with his thumb as if this could stop the old memories from reappearing in front of his mind's eye.

Mrs. Hughes cast him a worried look, "Charles, is everything alright?" The question was rather an attempt to end the silence that was about to arise between them. She knew perfectly well what he was thinking about.

A sheepish smile appeared on Mr. Carson's face. "I was just reminded of something. A memory that is very dear to me."

"I guess this memory involves me?" Mrs. Hughes tried to capture his gaze but Mr. Carson would not let her at first. "This afternoon when I was talking to Anna it felt as if it was me sitting on this bed, crying and feeling lost." She finally was able to look into his eyes. "But in contrast to me, Anna was crying because she had lost her husband…" she left the sentence open.

"…not because she had lost her love forever", Mr. Carson finished for her. "It was the biggest mistake I ever made in my whole life. Letting you go because of some silly rules." His uttered these words in almost a whisper. It was the first time ever that they talked about what has happened almost 15 years ago. This was neither the time nor the place to make such a confession but today's events brought back all the memories and Mr. Carson could not keep his thoughts to himself anymore. But instead of feeling relieved, a lump was forming in his throat.

Mrs. Hughes bit her lip. They had never spoken about their feelings before. 15 years ago when she was just promoted to housekeeper their relationship, that was never more than a good friendship, suddenly changed. Her new role required to work hand in hand with the butler of Downton Abbey. So they spent most of the day together as well as most of the evenings. Being just head housemaid, Elsie never had such a close contact to Charles but now they had to discuss every single detail of the household which often enough ended in a heated discussion. Gradually they got to know each other. After a while, Mrs. Hughes knew that Charles Carson was very fond of a special kind of dark chocolate so whenever she had the possibility she organized a bar of it and put it on his desk, especially when they had quarrelled about household matters. Mr. Carson discovered what Elise Hughes' favourite fragrance was and on her birthday she found a bottle of it in front of her door. These little attentions gradually turned into mutually spent afternoons and days off. Soon they realized that their friendship had turned into something more serious. A simple look into her eyes made Charles feel dizzy. Whenever they accidentally touched, Elsie was getting goose bumps.

One day, after a very long and exhausting dinner party they were sitting in Mr. Carson's parlour next to each other at his desk updating the stock lists when it happened. First, Charles was just letting his leg relax against hers and not drawing it back again. Then she accidentally touched his hand, while reaching for a ruler to cross out a line she had messed up by an error in writing. Their eyes met and he could not resist kissing her. Instead of turning away from him she let it happen not only this very evening but whenever they found some time to be alone and unwatched. They did not at all think about the consequences until some day Charles came up to her room when everyone else had already gone to bed. "Elsie, I'm sorry but we have to end this immediately." He spoke these words so fast that she needed him to repeat what he had just said, unable to believe. "We need to end this romance now. I'm sorry." Before she could argue against it he had left the room and shut the door. She was standing dumbfounded in the middle of her room looking at the door, hoping that this was a dream and that Charles would come back in again and tell her that he didn't mean what he had just said. But he did not return. That night she could not sleep. All she did was crying.

Somehow Lord Grantham had been informed about the relationship that was developing between his housekeeper and butler and he had taken Carson aside to talk about his suspicion. Although he did not tell Carson to let Elsie go, he made him feel uneasy about their secret romance. They had broken a rule and Charles did neither have the courage nor the strength to keep their relationship up. So he ended it without an explanation.

The next day after Charles' unexpected confession she managed to intercept him when he was on his way to the staff's quarters. "Why did you do that?" she hissed, full of anger and disappointment. "You promised me that we would stay together no matter what happened. And now you duck away? What's the matter with you Charles Carson?"

Charles tried to avoid looking at her but she forced him to look into her eyes. "I don't want to give this up."

"Then don't", she begged.

"But we have broken a rule and we will both lose our jobs if we go on with our relationship. And I don't want to risk that because it would mean that we will never see each other again. I could not endure that loss."

Elsie closed her eyes and felt the tears that ran down her cheeks. She understood.

For months they did not talk more than necessary but after a while they realized that this was not going to work. They needed each other's company, help and comfort. So they decided to be friends again but nothing more. It was hard at the beginning but over the years they became a good team.

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><p>"I was a coward", Charles admitted."And it took me 15 years to notice that." He looked at Elsie and it almost broke his heart to see her sitting on that chair trying to hold back her tears. "It needed a funeral and the arrest of a valet to say these words to you. I'm sorry."<p>

Elsie took a deep breath before she looked up. "You don't need to be sorry." She took out a handkerchief and wiped away a tear that had run down her cheek. "I let you go without a fight."

Charles stood up and went over to where Elise sat. He allowed himself to tenderly wipe away another tear from her cheek. He could not see a woman cry. Slowly she rose from her chair, looking into his handsome and smiling face. "And I did not realize what you really meant to me but I know now." He said in his deep voice.

Elsie's hands went up to his face, drawing it down to her level to be able to kiss him. Finally after so many years their lips met again and it felt as if no time had passed at all. The touch of his lips on hers made her shiver. He embraced her and drew her closer so that she could feel his warm body. How she had missed that! When they ended the kiss she buried her face on his chest, closing her eyes and trying to breathe normal again. Charles stroked her back tenderly and kissed the top of her head. It all felt so natural suddenly.

"So what will we do about Anna and Mr. Bates?" she whispered after a while, not changing her position.

"Nothing", he answered.

Elsie looked up, a questioning look in her eyes. "Times are changing and some rules need to be changed, too", was his simple answer and he sealed this agreement with a kiss on her forehead.

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><p>"No Mr. Murray, I don't understand." Lord Grantham was pacing up and down the library while his lawyer was trying to make a point. "I told you yesterday that I needed some help in a very urgent matter. I relied on you and your experience in such complicated cases and now you tell me that there is no way out of this dilemma?"<p>

"Milord I'm not an expert when it comes to suspected murder." He shrugged his shoulders apologetically. "And this particular case is more than tricky."

"If it weren't I would not have asked you to take it over." He stopped for a minute right in front of Mr. Murray, his facial expression a mixture of frustration and anger. "Can't you understand that you are the only person I think capable of getting Mr. Bates a fair trial and out of prison?"

Mr. Murray cleared his throat. "Thank you milord for having such a high esteem in my capabilities but.."

"No more "buts" Mr. Murray, please!"

Charles was watching this scene from his place in front of the fireplace. Obviously Lord Grantham had completely forgotten that he had rung for the butler. So he just stood there and waited for his orders. The scene that he was unfortunately forced to witness troubled him more than necessary. If not even his Lordships lawyer was able to get Mr. Bates out of this dreadful situation than who could?

Mr. Murray was about to add something but did not dare to speak up again while Lord Grantham continued to walk up and down the library floor, deep in thought. When he stopped the next time he eventually noticed Mr. Carson. "Oh Carson, I'm sorry. Would you please be so kind and get Anna. Mr. Murray needs her to give a full account of the story I'm afraid. Would she be able to do that for us?"

"Sure milord. I will send for her immediately." He left the room and before he closed the door he could hear Mr. Murray add: "Milord, if I may suggest something." Charles stayed behind the half closed door for a while longer than necessary. Eavesdropping was not his favourite past time but in this case he considered it a useful thing. "You may, if it helps to clear this up", he heard Lord Grantham answer. "Well, a good friend and colleague of mine, Mr. Baker is an expert in these kind of cases. If we could look into this matter together there might be a chance to save Mr. Bates." Charles closed his eyes for a second and send a silent prayer that at least he could send Anna upstairs with some good news to accompany her.

"What are you doing there Mr. Carson?" Elise Hughes stern voice scolded him from somewhere close. He turned around, startled, only to find her standing almost directly behind him, casting him an amused look. Charles did not hear her approaching. He was listening so concentrated on what was being said in the library that he completely forgot he was not the only person living at Downton. Luckily it was Elsie who caught him.

"Where's Anna?" He tried to distract her. "Lord Grantham would like to talk to her about Mr. Bates."

But Elsie was not letting him pass so easily. "Eavesdropping on his Lordship", her face was still having this amused look though her voice did not match this expression. "We need to discuss this tonight, I guess."

"Very well." Actually he was already looking forward to this discussion. Especially after last night's surprising confession which ended so abruptly with a knock at Charles' door and a hasty return to their actual sitting positions. Just in time before Mrs Patmore entered the room to ask for some extra provisions for tomorrow's dinner.

"Anna is in her room changing for luncheon." Elsie gave him a warm smile and then went upstairs.

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><p>He did not find sleep that night. His knee was aching and his mind was so full of thoughts that whenever he closed his eyes he saw Anna and how she stood in the kitchen, fear in her eyes. Why did he let that happen? How could he draw her into all of this? Because you love her, he said to himself. Because she is the first person in your life that really matters to you.<p>

When they opened the cell in the morning he was sitting on the edge of the hard cot and did not realize that it was already morning. With no daylight coming in, he lost track of the time. "Breakfast", a tin bowl with some porridge and a cup of lukewarm tea was handed to him. Then the door snapped shut again.

He'd never thought that he would see a prison from the inside a second time in his life. But here he was, sitting in a dark cell with no chance of getting out of it again. Not this time. Murder was the most serious crime and not even the fairest judge could save him this time. John tried to eat something although he was not hungry. Besides, the porridge tasted horrible. When he had finished the bowl and drank the tea he lay down on the cot and tried to rest his mind. Maybe there was a way out…

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><p><strong>Reviews are more than welcome! I really appreciate your thoughts and your help. <strong>


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N Thanks again for your lovely reviews! Here comes chapter 4 :). Hope you enjoy it!_

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><p>Charles found Anna in her room, getting herself ready for luncheon. She looked much better than yesterday though her face was still paler than usual and her eyes still red from crying.<p>

"Mr. Carson, I'm just getting ready. I will be downstairs in a minute", she was just about to put her apron on.

He looked at her. This young girl still had her whole life in front of her and still she had already suffered so much. But every setback, and Charles could tell Anna had had more of those than was possibly bearable, seemed to make her stronger. She did not let it show when she was feeling down. Instead Anna tried to maintain her optimistic self. "Anna, Lord Grantham wants to see you. He is in the library and Mr. Murray, his Lordships lawyer, is with him."

Anna held her breath. They really wanted to help her! "I'm afraid you have to recount your story again."

"I won't mind Mr. Carson, as long as it helps Mr. Bates to get out of prison I will do everything I can."

Charles gave her a smile happy to see Anna brighten up. "They wait for you in the library and I will take care of the luncheon."

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><p>Nervously Anna straightened her apron before she knocked on the large oak door of the library.<p>

"Come in please", she heard Lord Grantham call from inside.

She turned the knob, opened the door and put on a friendly and smiling face although she was overanxious and her hands were shaking. She tried to conceal this as best as she could by clutching to her dress at both sides. "Milord, you wanted to see me?" Anna did not move further into the room when she saw both men look at her with so much pity in their eyes that she could hardly bear it.

"Anna. We are so sorry about all of this but I also know that the police arrested the wrong man. Mr. Bates isn't a murderer. He could never harm anyone! And I must know", he paused for a moment, "because we've been in a war together." He encouraged her to finally take a few steps into his direction. If Lord Grantham was convinced that John was not guilty than there was an actual chance to get out of this nightmare.

"Mr. Murray needs to take down your story. After that he will consult one of his colleagues in London. They both will be at Mr. Bates side when it comes to the trial." He motioned her to sit down on the armchair next to Mr. Murray. Anna was glad he did so because after what Lord Grantham had just said her legs started to shake so heavily that she had problems to remain standing.

"Well Mrs. Bates, could you please give me some account of what has happened after Mr. Bates had returned to Downton Abbey from London?" Mr. Murray took out a plain black notebook.

He called her 'Mrs. Bates'! For a moment Anna was unable to think, let alone speak. No one had so far referred to her as 'Mrs. Bates'. So his Lordship came to know their secret. Mr. Carson must have told him after all. She looked up to his Lordship but to her surprise he looked rather astonished at the words Mr. Murray had uttered.

"Mr. Murray it's Ms Smith if I'm right", he corrected the lawyer. "They are engaged indeed but as far as I'm informed there had not been a wedding yet." His gaze went back to Anna who could not hold it.

"Anna?" This was not how it was supposed to come to light. She had planned to talk to his Lordship in presence of Mrs. Hughes as a support later that day.

"Milord I'm sorry", her voice was almost a whisper, however she tried to put all the strength she had left into her next words, "We did not tell you yet but Mr. Bates and me got married last Friday."

Lord Grantham opened his mouth to reply but he only let out a deep sigh and decided to sit down as well.

"Anna, why didn't you tell me?"

Mr. Murray was looking back and forth between the young housemaid and Lord Grantham. Apparently confused of what was happening.

"You were afraid that I would say no, weren't you?" his voice was soft. Anna had never heard him talk to a servant like this before. It seemed full of regret. "I can assure you that you have my blessing whatever may happen."

Anna bit her lip and tried to swallow down the tears that were gathering behind her eyes. "Thank you milord." She took a deep breath and went on. "So Mr. Murray was right. It is Mrs. Bates." She tried to smile while a few tears rolled down her cheeks after all.

* * *

><p>Vera had written this blasted last letter, John thought. And it's only because of her words that I'm stuck in this dark cell right now. Now think, old boy, there must be something you overlook in all of this mess. You have bought that bloody rat poison but this was weeks ago before you last saw her. If he only had a proof of that purchase! It would be his saving grace!<p>

He closed his eyes and though of the last time he had seen Vera alive. She was standing in their living room, hands on her hip, her face red with anger. "I will never let you go!"

"Vera, listen, if you let me go now I will promise you that you will live a good life. But please, agree to the divorce", he pressed through gritted teeth. Anna told him to stay calm and so did Lord Grantham and he tried his best, he really did, though he was on the brink to grab his wife and push her against the wall.

"Ah, more money. You think that money will solve all your problems! Hah!"

"I did not say anything about money!" His voice grew louder every minute.

"But you did so the last time! And I reported this, you see." Vera sniggered maliciously. "And now I could tell them that you did it again… they don't know that you did not use the word 'money'."

"Why for heaven's sake are you doing this!" He screamed.

"Because you treated me like a whore!" she screamed back at him. "I want you to suffer like I suffered."

Bates still tried to keep calm. He clasped his cane so firmly that his hand ached. "I've suffered enough", he hissed. Then he turned around and slammed the door shut behind him.

He opened his eyes again. Vera had always been a liar and how could you defend against someone like this? He knew that he did not threaten her that night. He knew that he had bought the poison for the sole purpose of killing rats. But _they _did not know and _they _did not believe him because of his criminal record. He needed a witness. Someone who could tell the court that he was incapable of planning such a devious murder. Mrs. O'Brien came to his mind all of a sudden. She was standing in the doorway, sneaking up him as always, while he was on the phone with Vera the last time. A week before she committed suicide and a few days after he had left London. He clearly remembered what he said: "You won't do that! Vera, you're not that kind of person that does such a stupid thing!" She was talking about hitting herself with a stick to make it look like as if he had abused her. "They will notice that you'd done it yourself." But Vera wasn't giving up. Then she would take some poison and get into hospital telling everyone that he made her swallow it. "You don't have any poison at home. Leave me alone. I cannot stand it anymore." And then he hung up.

Recalling this scene he now realized that she had actually threatened to kill herself and he had not noticed at all. But he had Mrs. O'Brien as a witness: "You don't have any poison at home!" And he was sure of this at this point.

* * *

><p>It felt as if she had been in the library for hours though it had only been 30 minutes. When Mr. Murray had finally started to take her account to paper, she felt a bit more relaxed. Nevertheless the unwanted confession she had made to Lord Grantham was still took a toll on her. She had rushed out of the library and ran down the stairs to the servant's hall without looking left or right. She just wanted to be at a familiar and calming place. Panting she stood in the doorway.<p>

"Anna, what's the matter? Is everything alright?" Elsie had seen her running down the stairs a second earlier while she was on her way upstairs. What did they do to the poor girl up there? "I should not have allowed Mr. Murray to interrogate you!" she scolded herself.

"It's alright Mrs. Hughes. They were nice and I think I helped Mr. Bates a lot with my account of the story, but…" Anna sighed, wiping away a fresh tear. "…Lord Grantham knows."

Elsie's eyes widened with shock. To steady herself and also to steady Anna she reassuringly stroked the young girl's shoulder. "This was not how we planned it", she muttered and put a hand onto Anna's back to lead he into her sitting room and away from the hustle and bustle in the kitchen.

Once Anna had taken a seat, Elsie closed the door. She would not dare to keep it open in case Mrs. O'Brien was anywhere near. "What did Lord Grantham say? How did he know?"

Anna wrung her handkerchief in her hands but she at least able to look into Mrs. Hughes eyes. "He did not. Mr. Murray addressed me as Mrs. Bates and when I could not look into his Lordships eyes, he knew."

Elsie was about to swear in her mother tongue but managed to swallow down the words. "By the way you look he was not all happy I assume?"

And now Anna surprised her with a shy smile on her lips. "To be honest, he gave us his blessing."

This was more than Elsie had hoped for and she let out a sigh of relief. "Well, now that you've made your confession tell me what Mr. Murray will do to help."

* * *

><p>Charles was startled by the still unaccustomed noise of the telephone. He was sitting at his desk later that evening, going through the wine list. He had hoped that the busiest part of the day was over already and now there was a phone call to answer, which never meant good news. Wearily he took the mouthpiece off the hook. "Downton Abbey, you're talking to Mr. Carson." He held his breath after he had heard who was on the other end of the line. "If you could just wait a few minutes then I go and fetch her immediately."<p>

He almost bumped into Elsie while rushing out of the door. She had been on her way to his parlour and was more than surprised to see him in such a hurry. "Oh, I'm sorry Mrs. Hughes. Have you seen Anna?"

"Yes I have. She's in the servant's hall. Is something the matter with Mr. Bates?" Worry resonated in her question.

"No he's actually on the phone." He left her standing in front of his door and turned around the corner to fetch Anna.

They had left her alone in his parlour to give her some privacy. Elsie stood in the servant's hall doorway, arms crossed and nervously tapping her fingers on her elbow until Charles soothingly put his hand on top of it. It felt good to have him near to her. And as opposed to before he did not withdraw his hand a moment later but left it on her arm. It was the first time after last night that they had the chance to be so close again. Elise relaxed her shoulders and leant against his chest a bit. To their misfortune Mrs. O'Brien came out of the kitchen just in that second. Elsie immediately straightened her back again whereas Charles did not let go of her hand but simply looked at O'Brien. "You're late."

"I was just getting her Ladyship some tea. She's not feeling well." She saucily replied eying both of them suspiciously.

"Then hurry. Don't keep her waiting." Elsie added.

Mrs. O'Brien shook her head and made her way upstairs. Elsie rolled her eyes. "This was close."

"To be honest Mrs. Hughes, I don't care at all."

Before Elsie could turn around to let him see her startled face, the door to his parlour opened and Anna emerged. She took a step forward, to move away from Charles – she still cared. "Any news?"

Anna's face had completely changed from what Elsie had seen this afternoon. Her eyes were shining and there was a pink flush back on her cheeks. "He is alright and he thinks he's got a plan."

* * *

><p>Finally they could enjoy some privacy. Elise sat down on her settee, relaxing her back against the wall. She looked invitingly at Charles so that he would join her and sit next to her, but instead he took seat opposite of her in the armchair.<p>

"That was quite a day again," he commented. "At least we managed to get some important things done."

He was trying the usual small talk not sure how to approach Elsie. Earlier in the hallway it was easy but now inside her parlour he was feeling this lump in his throat again. It was as if he was back at school where he had this crush for Meredith Parker. Whenever they were alone in a room or unwatched he could not utter a normal sentence. Some things never change, even more than 40 years later, he thought.

"Yes we sure did and I'm happy for Anna."

"I hope Mr. Bates plan will work out."

"It will." What was the matter with them? This was going to be more than an awkward conversion, Elsie thought, this is starting to get ridiculous. She shifted her seat because her corset was getting unnecessarily tight by the end of the day like it always did.

"Are you alright over there? You seem a little bit uncomfortable." Charles gathered all his courage and stood up to join her on the settee. But a split second later he hesitated, the short courageous moment being over too fast. He was such a fool sometimes. He knew her so well like no other person in the world and still he was afraid of what would happen now that they had eventually found the courage to talk about their feelings. Charles loved her and had always loved her so why was he so afraid right now? He hadn't been yesterday.

Elsie sensed his uneasiness and decided to not push him. "You can consider yourself lucky that you do not have to wear a corset", she smiled at his questioning face. "It always gets uncomfortable at the end of the day." And now he finally sat down next to her.

"Maybe you could lean against me to relax your back a bit?" he offered her. "I'm sure this will help." And he was sure that it would help him to also relax a bit.

* * *

><p><em>AN I was about to write even more but I have to sleep now :) so next chapter will be up on Friday I guess. _

Love to read what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I do not own these characters. They belong to Mr. Fellowes who invented them and to ITV. _

_Thanks for all the nice reviews so far! _

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><p>A long time had passed since they had last been that close but they were no longer that young and naïve couple they had been when they first fell in love with each other. They now knew of the consequences they might have to take if their little secret was to be discovered. Charles had to acknowledge that he would need a lot of tactfulness to convince Lord Grantham of their liaison. But he was sure that his Lordship would understand this time. Elsie and he were two of his most valuable employees. He would not dare to dismiss them. But foolishly Charles was having exactly this kind of doubts while sitting next to Elsie. His mind was suddenly full of pros and cons although he tried to ignore the cons completely. The last time he hadn't and the fear of losing his job and risking Elsie's as well had lead to the most fatal mistake in his life: letting her go. He would not let this happen a second time!<p>

She accepted his offer and moved closer to him to lean against his right shoulder, cautious and a bit unsure, closing her eyes. He felt how her body relaxed, how all the stress she had had all day resolved after all. Hesitantly he managed to wrap his right arm around her waist but he did not dare to pull her closer to his side.

"It feels good to have you so close", she murmured. "I did not realize how much I've missed that. I'm afraid I'd completely forgotten how it felt."

He did not answer. His body was tense and his thoughts were meandering, from a feeling of sheer happiness that this beautiful brown-haired woman next to him still loved him so much; to why he still had this nervous feeling of doing something wrong. Hadn't he said yesterday that a new age was dawning and that some rules had to be changed?

Elise suddenly stirred in his embrace and moved back into an upright position. There was something wrong with Charles. He had not spoken a word since she had leaned against his shoulder and although his arm had rested on her hip for a few moments, it was not really there. One moment she had felt so secure but when Charles stayed silent after her confession she suddenly felt how tense his body was. "You're not comfortable at all, aren't you?" She looked into his face, his eyes absently fixed on the wall above the mantelpiece. Elise moved away a bit. What about yesterday evening? Didn't he mean what he had said? Did she get last night's confession in the wrong way? No! That was just impossible! The kiss had touched her heart so deeply and revived her feelings for him so strongly; he could not have pretended all of this. "Charles!" Elsie's voice was now full of disbelief and fear.

He felt as if he awoke from a terrible nightmare when he heard her call out his name in such an angst-burdened voice. He detached his gaze from the opposite wall and managed to turn around to look at her face. All of a sudden his heart felt as if it was about to burst into thousand little pieces. She had never looked at him like this. Her eyes wide open, full of disbelief. While he had thought about all the mistakes he had made so far he had made another one: not showing her right away that this time he was sure about their love.

"Elsie", his voice was sorrowful;" there is something I have to tell you."

Her face dropped. He would back away a second time. She would lose him again. Her first impulse was to jump up, leave the room and pack her things. How did this evening develop into such a nightmare? But she stayed where she was, rooted to the spot unable to move.

Charles noticed that his choice of words obviously had caused even more tension. "I'm such a terrible old fool", his voice now so low that Elsie almost missed this sentence.

"Well, I can only agree to that." She was angry now and her voice trembling. How could she be so mistaken about him? She thought she knew him.

"Elsie listen, you misunderstood me." He reached out to take her hands into his and was relieved that she did not pull away. Charles fixed her gaze albeit her eyes were hard to look at right now, full of anger, disbelief and fear. "I can reassure you that I'm serious about what I said yesterday. Now let me finish", she was about to stand up and withdraw from his grip. "I will not let you go a second time. This is a promise I make with all my heart. No matter what consequences we have to face, nothing will make me deny that I we belong together!"

Elsie now stared at him. So he did mean what he said yesterday after all? She slightly shook her head, trying to find a spot in room to fix her gaze to. It was impossible for her to look into his face right now. "I was overwhelmed by my feelings tonight, haunted by the same fear that made me end our relationship years ago." He finally admitted. "Will you forgive me my foolishness?"

She did not want to cry but could no longer withhold the tears. "Just tell me how I could fall in love with a man like you? A man that in one moment makes me feel like I'm the happiest woman on earth and in the next moment tramples on my feelings by not being unable to say three little words out loud."

Both his hands now cupped her face and his thumbs brushed away her tears. "Do you mean: I love you?"

Her eyes found his. "Yes, Charles Carson."

"Then I say them again: I love you Elsie Hughes until I draw my last breath. Now would you please forgive me that I completely ruined this evening?"

Her answer was a simple kiss. "I forgive you." She caressed his face with her left hand all the while looking into his dark eyes and getting lost in them.

They sat like this for a while, just looking into each other's eyes. "Would you mind to hold me now?" Elsie asked after a while. He gave her a lovingly smile, wrapped his arm around her and drew her close to his side.

* * *

><p>For the first time in two days, Anna could sleep through the night without waking up from a bad dream every other hour. Although John's plan was until now only an idea, it was at least a straw one could clutch to. After she got dressed Anna took out her wedding ring from the small red wooden box she had kept it in and put it onto her left ring finger. She looked at the golden band. Yes, it was supposed to be there and it would stay in place until John was out of prison. She would no longer keep it a secret now.<p>

She went downstairs for breakfast meeting Ms O'Brien on her way. "Good morning." Anna greeted her with a smile whereas Ms O'Brien furled her eyebrows in disrespect. But this would not affect her good mood today. She took her usual seat at the big table and waited for the others to arrive.

"Good Morning everyone." Mr. Carson entered the room; chairs were moved as the other staff members rose from their seats. He took his seat at the head of the table. Though Mrs. Hughes was still missing, Daisy started to pour out the tea. Anna did not wonder about this irregularity for a second until she noticed that Mr. Carson cast nervous looks in the direction of the door.

"Mr. Carson where's Mrs. Hughes?" He turned his head in her direction, evidently surprised that she had noticed her absence as well.

"Well, she worked late last night and I believe she needed a bit more rest." He took a sip from his tea before he once more looked at the door.

Except for Anna no one else seemed to care but she had noticed a slight nervousness in Mr. Carson's voice.

The rest of the breakfast proceeded in silence. Mrs. Hughes did not appear at all so Anna sent the other housemaids upstairs and waited for Mr. Carson to return from his first round. "Mr. Carson can I have a word?" He took out his pocket watch and decided that he could spare some five minutes.

"We have to make this quick, there's still a lot to do this morning, Anna." He led her to his parlour. "Are there any news on Mr. Bates?" he inquired.

"No, Mr. Carson. But I've told you already about the plan Mr. Bates is pursuing and I wanted to talk to Mrs. Hughes about a day off next week so that I can take the bus over to Ripon to meet Mr. Bates." She eagerly looked at him but Mr. Carson was still somehow nervous.

"As soon as I'll see her I will inform her about your request. Is that all?"

"Well yes…"

"Good", and he went out of the room and made his way upstairs, leaving a confused Anna behind.

Anna started her round with Lady Mary's room.

* * *

><p>"Good Morning your Ladyship, did you sleep well?" Mary had been awake for quite some time, Anna thought. She was sitting on the window sill looking down at the park and not turning around when the housemaid entered the room.<p>

"So so", was her rather meaningless answer. She stood up with a sigh. "Then let's get ready for the day, shall we?"

"Yes, milady", and Anna started to dress Mary, combing her hair and curling the loose streaks with the curling iron. All the while they did not talk which was unusual and had never happened before. "Is something wrong milady? You are so quite this morning?"

"So are you Anna. How's Mr. Bates? Have you any news concerning his case?"

She told Mary all she knew, about the telephone call and about the meeting with Mr. Murray yesterday. "Well that sounds good! I guess we can gather even more witnesses to help Mr. Bates. What about my Papa? He knows him for such a long time. I'm sure he will make a good witness."

Actually, Anna had thought about this before she fell asleep last night. She planned to propose this question to Lady Mary anyway. "That would help us a lot milady, thank you."

"I've been wondering about poor Bates all night", Mary confessed. "It is not right what they did to him."

Anna could not help put smile. It felt good that not only Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes were supporting here but that she also had support from Lord Grantham and now even Lady Mary. They would never give up on John Bates.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN this was not planned to be so dramatic… but I could not stop. I was planning to bring Charles and Elsie closer very slowly but then one sentence he said led to her confused thoughts and so on… hope it was not so confusing for you to read. Anyway, I think that a scene like this will never happen ;) I find it completely unrealistic. But I don't care ;). I had to include at least one silly scene.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: I do not own these characters. They belong to Mr. Fellowes who invented them and to ITV._

_Chapter 6! I never thought I would be able to write that much! Thanks for the reviews!_

_I've also seen too many pictures for the upcoming Christmas episode already. I think some of this will be in the next chapters._

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><p>Charles was about to send the last of the breakfast trays downstairs when he finally saw Elsie entering her pantry. "Thomas, finish upstairs please and take care of the rest of the dishes I will join you again in a few minutes."<p>

Thomas opened his mouth in protest but Charles cast him a firm look and he turned his heel to follow the butler's orders.

Charles knocked at the doorframe but did not bother to wait for an answer before he entered her pantry. "Good morning dear", he said in a most tender voice.

She spun around with a start. "Mr. Carson! How dare you sneak up on my back?" Her voice having her usual stern timbre but her face contrasted it with a cheerful smile.

"Where have you been this morning? We missed you at breakfast." He had his hands crossed behind his back and was not giving away his role as a butler while approaching her, well aware of the open door behind him. "Anna was asking for you, wondering if she could have a day off sometime next week to see Mr. Bates." He was now standing right in front of her.

Elsie looked up to his handsome face that smiled down at her. "I needed some more rest this morning after I feel asleep on my settee last night." She answered with a smirk.

"Oh I see." His face turned soft remembering the previous evening. "I had not intended to cause you a sleepless night." Charles brought his hands to the front, relaxing a bit in her presence. He absentmindedly tucked away a loose strand of hair that had freed itself from her otherwise neatly pinned hair.

"Charles, the door is still open and one of the girls can pass by any second", though she had to admit that she liked to feel his soft hands on her face. She had been in a hurry this morning and not found the time to pin her hair the way she usually did. Charles withdrew his hand but only to place it on top of her left shoulder. "The lack of sleep was worth every second of it", she replied to his last remark.

_After he had wrapped his arms around her last night she had relaxed her head on his chest while he was tenderly caressing her back. She could hear his heartbeat and feel his chest rising and falling with every breath he took. After a while she felt drowsy and secure in his embrace. The world around her did no longer seem to matter. When she opened her eyes again, she was lying lengthwise on her settee, covered in her embroidered quilt. Charles was sitting next to her head, leaning his back against the wall. "I feel asleep?" she asked and he nodded in answer to her question. "There is no excuse for that." She sat up feeling a bit embarrassed to have ruined their evening a second time. But Charles just looked at her, took her face into his hands and placed a kiss on her forehead, then another one on her temple and finally a third one on her lips. All three had made her shiver however the last one took her breath away. She had longed for such a kiss for more than two decades and now that she finally felt his lips on hers and a moment later his teasing tongue inside her mouth she was not willing to end it so soon. Elsie was clutching his back to draw him closer to her. She could feel how he took the pins out of her hair so that it fell loose upon her shoulders. She felt like a twenty year old again. But every kiss had to end sooner or later. Breathless she rested her forehead against his. "Please tell me that this is real", he whispered, stroking her brown curls. "I can feel you so it must be real", Elsie placed a kiss on his cheek. They remained in this position, enjoying the closeness, the soft touches of each other's hands until the old clock on the mantelpiece chimed three. "Three already?" Elsie sighed. "Guess we should better make our way upstairs to get some sleep." Charles helped her up and she took the last hairpins out. "You should wear it open", His fingers played with one of the dark brown curls that already had some grey streaks in it. "It would not suit me besides I'm not a young lass anymore and it is inappropriate." She smiled at his sulky expression. "You are always as young as you feel, Elsie." "Then I'm around 20 right now." Charles laughed heartily but got shushed by Elsie. "Let's go to sleep right now before the kitchen staff shows up. They are always the first in the morning you know that fairly well." _

"What about Anna's request?" she inquired after a long moment of silence between them in which they simply looked at each other, standing no more than half an arm's length apart.

"Oh well yes", he cleared his throat. "She is allowed to see Mr. Bates next week and asked for a day off."

"Let's pray that Mr. Bates is well and that this dreadful accusation will be sorted out soon. Anna is a strong character but I'm afraid that it will break her spirit if the matter is not solved fast."

* * *

><p>She got her day off on a Thursday a week later. The only contact they had until then was a rather short telephone conversation Mr. Murray had arranged. John's voice had sounded lost and somewhat powerless and it had shaken her so deeply that she did not find sleep for two nights, dark rings evolving underneath her eyes. In contrast to her last contact via telephone John's hopeful mood was completely gone.<p>

Anna turned the wedding ring between her fingers all the way to the bus stop in the village. She had woken very early that day, dressed herself in the darkness, putting on her dark blue skirt and a light blue blouse. She neatly dressed her hair first to a bun and after a look in the mirror she decided to let her blonde curls down, only pinning the sides to her head.

The bus was on time and she found a seat near the window. Seeing the late spring landscape fly past it made her feel like she was on her way to another country where everything was perfect and John still at her side. When it turned into Ripon and the grey walls of the city houses came into view she knew that her daydream came to an end. She left the bus in front of the city hall looking around for some locals to help her find her way to the local police station.

"Sorry Sir, can you tell me how to get to the Ripon police station?" The elderly man wearing a battered black bowler looked at her in surprise. Such a beautiful young lady asking for the way to the prison? But he gave her the directions anyway and Anna was glad that she did not have to walk far.

When the Police Station came into view Anna felt her confidence lessen. The dark red brick walls created a somewhat gloomy atmosphere. He was inside these walls somewhere, waiting in a dark and inhospitable cell for his trial. She could not go in there and show him how desperate she had been the last two days. Anna decided that she needed to be his hope and stay strong for him no matter what happened. She took a deep breath, straightened her body and wiped away all of her dark thoughts. Just a few more steps and she would see her husband again. Actually the thought of hearing his voice again, of being able to touch him, made her smile. These thoughts were much better than the ones that had haunted her just seconds before.

"May I ask whom you wish to see, Miss?" The sergeant behind the counter asked; his voice neither very kind nor very stern.

"I came to see Mr. John Bates. I'm his wife. Anna Bates." She stepped forward, again nervously twisting her wedding ring.

"Do you have an appointment?" the sergeant inquired.

"Barrister Murray said he would put me on the visitors list today." Anna's voice was a bit shaky. What if she wasn't on the list and could not see John?

The sergeant scanned through a thick black register his finger tracing down the many names written in delicate hand writing. "Ah, John Bates, charged with murder." A small whistle escaped from his mouth. "It says he had killed his wife. But you are standing right in front of me." He grinned but Anna was not at all in a mood for joking.

"Would you please show me where I can find him?" It took all her strength not to scream at this insensitive man.

"Well, he is in downstairs were we keep prisoners awaiting trial." Still the sergeant did not show the slightest inclination to guide her to these cells. Instead he still grinned at her. Still enjoying his silly and inappropriate joke.

"Sergeant Morgan what's going on here?" A younger police office, obviously of higher rank came up to the counter. "I'm sorry Miss but Sergeant Morgan sometimes has rather blunt manners. How can I be of assistance?"

Anna stated her request a second time. "Mrs. Bates, may I introduce myself: Inspector Connor. Now would you please follow me downstairs?" He indicated a door at the end of a long corridor to their right and Anna followed the Inspector with as much the self-confident she had left.

* * *

><p>The cell was dark with no window to let some sunlight or fresh air into the room. John was sitting on the wooden plank bed staring into the darkness. The only source of light came from a small petrol lamp which was standing on a small table in front of him. He did not know the time let alone if Anna had already arrived.<p>

He made out footsteps on the floor behind the thick cell walls and the iron doo. They stopped for a while and a key was turned in the lock releasing the heavy door with a creak. Harsh light from the floor entered the dimly lit cell and John had problems adjusting his eyes but he could clearly make out the petite and slender figure of his wife. He rose from the bed, shifting his weight to his good leg and opened his arms to welcome her.

Anna could hardly see him in the darkness but she heard him stand up, softly whispering her name. Still she hesitated. "You can go in, Mrs. Bates. The door will be closed behind you and I will stand guard outside. In case you want to leave please give me a notice." With a hollow bang the door snapped shut behind Inspector Connor. They were alone.

John took a few steps forward, trying to control his legs. "Anna", he whispered again.

Eventually Anna realized that John was finally standing right in front of her. The strength and self-confidence she had put up all day was coming to an end. She collapsed into his arms almost causing him to topple down onto the floor. He somehow managed to support her and lead her to the wooden plank bed to sit down.

"Feeling better?" he caressed her face with one hand the other holding her hand in his lap. A small smile appeared on her lips. "How I've missed this smile." He traced it with the thumb of his right hand.

Anna could finally make out his face in the barely illuminated cell. The wrinkles around his eyes appeared to be deeper than two weeks ago when he had been arrested but his smile was still the same. Warm and lovingly. "I've missed you so much." Warm tears were now streaming down her cheeks, the pent-up tension eased. She reached out to touch his face and to draw his head closer so that she could finally kiss him deeply. The dark room around them did not matter anymore. It was just the two of them right now.

"Are there any news from Mr. Baker?" Anna snuggled into his arms. She wanted to feel him as close as possible. "Have you talked to him about your plans?"

John nodded his head. "He believes that the best thing to do is to find out who else might have been in contact with either me or Vera."

"So how do we find out, whom she was friends with or whom she confided in?" Anna looked into his eyes.

"Remember what she told us? She had been in contact with this lady's maid. If we find her, we might have another witness." There was again hope in his voice. He sounded so different now compared to the phone conversation they had a few days ago. Anna sighed with relief.

"Lady Mary had also spoken to His Lordship and he will testify as well." Anna informed him. "In fact everyone is supporting you, even Ms O'Brien."

"I really appreciate it although it will still be a trial were my word stands against hers. There is hope but all evidence incriminates only me." His eyes darkened and his grip on her hand tightened. "We will need all the luck we can get."

Anna buried her face in his chest and softly started to cry, relieved that he had found new hope again yet at the same time she was most frightened of the weeks that lay ahead.

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><p><em>AN: You all know: reviews help the writer (me) to make this story go on and on and on... and to also give me an idea of what can happen next. I crave for your comments! *wink*_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N Took me a while to finish this chapter. But at least it is longer than the other 6. Enjoy Reading. And I promise, I will make a small time jump soon ._

_**_I do not own these characters. They belong to Mr. Fellowes who invented them and to ITV._**  
><em>

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><p>"Heavens Rose how often do I have to remind you to take down the flower arrangements in the evening and replace them with new ones in the morning?" Elise was fussing over the new housemaid. "Did you not notice how dry those roses already are?"<p>

Rose looked to the ground, "I'm sorry Mrs. Hughes. It won't happen again." She took the dry flowers and hurried downstairs. Her excuse was the same every time. Elsie wondered if she had also been so lost in thought when she started as a housemaid at Downton. Being in service was considered an occupation that did not require an intelligent mind. In fact most of the people Elsie knew had that prejudice against her profession. Dusting, plumping up cushions, serving at a table was all they could think of. However they did not take into consideration how much more was needed to keep a household running as regular as a clockwork. Rose never seemed to think ahead. She missed the simple connections between the things she did and what they meant for the household at large.

Elsie continued her morning rounds. "Bess, take care of the shelves later, I need you to help Rose with the flowers." The drawing room was almost done and she went ahead to check the dining room. Anna had already opened the windows and two of the boys laid the tablecloth. Charles was supervising them.

"Good morning Mr. Carson", she greeted him formally after she had entered the room. "Looks like you are almost done in here."

"The same for you Mrs. Hughes. We have the room finished in half an hour." and only Elsie was aware of the imperceptible movement the corner of his mouth made to form a little smile. "Michael you can now begin to set the table. Remember what I have told you about the correct distances between each place setting." Over the last two weeks they had developed a secret code between them. Who would have thought that the resolute housekeeper and the ever so accurate butler were actually courting? They never stood closer together than was appropriate for their position. Whenever she gave him that special, lovingly smile she made sure no one else was watching. And whenever he accidentally brushed her side he tried to extend this moment for as long as was still proper. In fact the managed to steal a lot of private moments during their rather busy working days and they were learning quite fast how to make the most of every minute they managed to have together. Additionally they had spent almost every evening in either his or her sitting room, as usual discussing the events of the day but now also enjoying the privacy more than ever. On some days Elsie could not wait for the evening. Especially on a day like this when everything seemed to be directed against her. She longed for his affectionate embrace when she was able to rest her head on his chest and let go of all the problems she had encountered during the day. And she especially missed the touch of his lips on hers.

"Alright, I give notice to Mrs. Patmore that we can start with breakfast in an hour." She smiled at him and left the room, the tinkling of her keys accompanying her.

Charles looked at her back a moment too long. "Mr. Carson was it two fingers or three fingers?" Michael was nervously handling the cutlery until one knife dropped to the floor with a clatter. Charles was abruptly pulled out of his daydream by the unexpected noise.

"Take care of the silver, Michael!" Charles deep voice adopted a stern tone. "And it is two fingers."

Anna had noticed the look upon Mrs. Hughes face when she had entered the room. She smiled more often than she normally did. And Mr. Carson was obviously distracted from his work for a few seconds otherwise he would have noticed how Michael had stared at him, seeking for his advice. Something was happening here that reminded her very much of the time she and Mr. Bates were secretly courting. But she dismissed this thought and left the room to take care of the young ladies. Breakfast was soon ready and she'd rather not risk a warning from Mr. Carson or Mrs. Hughes as well.

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><p>Breakfast was a rather quiet affair. Since Sybil had left for Dublin there was almost no small talk in the morning. Mary stared out of the window, her thoughts apparently somewhere else. Edith from time to time cast her sister a glance which Charles could not really interpret. It was a combination of guilt and pity he would say. Even Lady Grantham was not her cheerful chatty self. The years of war, the multiple losses they had all suffered during and after this dreadful time and the unsure future for Mary had taken their toll. He was about to lose her to Sir Richard Carlisle, in fact they were all losing her to this deceitful man. Charles tried not to become absorbed in thoughts about Lady Mary and concentrated on breakfast again when a gentle knock on the door caught his attention. One of the hall boys handed him a letter addressed to his Lordship.<p>

"Your Lordship, this letter has just arrived." Charles handed over the white envelope to Lord Grantham who took it and opened it right away.

"It is from Mr. Murray", he announced a moment later to satisfy the curiosity that had appeared on Mary's and her Ladyship's face. Lord Grantham intently read the letter without looking up from it.

"What is it Robert?" Lady Grantham sensed that whatever Mr. Murray had written, it were no good news. Charles also anxiously waited for his Lordship to break the silence. There was only one reason the lawyer would write a personal letter nowadays: John Bates.

"Carson, can I have a word with you outside." He immediately stood up and left the dining room leaving worried faces behind. Charles followed Lord Grantham straightaway and closed the large door behind them.

"I'm afraid I do not have good news. Mr. Murray has written me in connection with Mr. Bates' case as you might have already guessed." He paused. Charles was feeling the uneasiness in his Lordship's voice and gestures. "Well, to cut a long story short, Mr. Bates will be transferred to York prison* on Friday. They have also scheduled the first hearing. I'm afraid we have to deliver the news to Anna now." He nervously ran his fingers through his hair.

This was indeed a shock. Charles had to swallow hard before he could answer. "Let me convey the letter to her. It will be best if she hears the news from me." Lord Grantham stared at the folded piece of paper he was holding in his hands as if he was able to change the meaning of the written words. He looked up at Carson and sighed. "Anna is a strong character milord. And she knows that we will do everything that is in our power to support here." He heard himself say though he knew that a transfer from a local prison to the county's prison limited Mr. Bates' prospects of a fast and fair trial.

"Indeed we will support her! You can assure her that."

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><p>Charles collected his thoughts before he descended the stairs to the staff's quarters. He tried to get the worried expression off his face before he entered the servant's hall. The letter would already be enough of a shock for Anna.<p>

The head housemaid was sitting on her regular seat mending some of Lady Edith's skirts. She did not see him standing in the doorway, unsure of how to find the right words to deliver the bad news. He observed her for a few moments before he cleared his throat.

By the sound of his voice, Anna rose from her seat but Charles indicated her so sit down again. There was no time now for formalities. He sat down on the chair next to her and took a deep breath before he managed to speak. "Anna, I'm afraid I am a bearer of bad news." Her eyes widened and the small pair of scissors she was holding in her right hand dropped to the floor. Charles could hear how she held her breath, anxiously waiting for him to continue. He took hold of both her hands before he spoke his next words. "Lord Grantham has just received a letter from Mr. Murray. Mr. Bates will be transferred to York prison next Friday." He could feel how Anna tightened the grip on his hands.

"But why?" She bit her lip to avoid the tears. Charles could hardly look at her frightened face and preferably he would have ended the conversation but he was to give her an answer.

"To the best of my knowledge they were not allowed to keep him at Ripon any longer. He is accused of the most serious crime thus the county jurisdiction is required. The first hearing will be on Monday in two weeks." This was even worse than delivering a death notice, he thought.

Anna's face did not change after she had heard his words. There would be a first hearing in no less than two weeks. Evidence was needed to convince the judges that John was innocent. She had to find that lady's maid Vera Bates had mentioned. She was the one that might make the difference. Her head was spinning with the news she had heard from Mr. Carson and the urgency for her to act. Time was running too fast now.

"Mr. Carson I really appreciate your support." She had finally found some words though her voice sounded hollow.

"Anna I can assure you that we will all support you. You will get all the help you need. From me, from Mrs. Hughes, from the rest of the staff and from Lord and Lady Grantham." At least she had said something. After she did not react to what he had said, Charles was afraid Anna might collapse again and he knew he could not bear that a second time. "Now it would be best if you take the afternoon off and get some rest."

He helped her stand up. She slowly put away the skirt and the rest of her sewing kit and Charles noticed how her hands trembled. This fragile young girl was about to go through hell as soon as the trial would start. Looking at her he was suddenly overcome with feeling. "If there is anything you might need, let me know and I send Mrs. Hughes upstairs."

"Thank you Mr. Carson", Anna answered and she felt how her inner strength was coming to an end. She looked up to him, her eyes pleading for some help and comfort and so Charles put his arms around her and held her close like the daughter he never had.

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><p>The remained in this position for a few minutes, Anna sobbing into his chest while he stroked her back reassuringly muttering words of comfort. When Charles looked up to make sure none of the other staff members was around he found himself looking at Elsie, standing in the doorway, observing them.<p>

She had come downstairs to see if Mrs. Patmore needed some additional groceries and found Charles and Anna standing in the servant's hall like this. It broke her heart to see how this usually so reserved man was comforting the head housemaid. Elise knew that Charles always made sure to never show a soft spot towards the members of staff because otherwise they would lose respect. But sometimes it was necessary to forget this rule and she was grateful that he knew when to do so. She swallowed down the tears that threatened to run down her cheeks and approached the two.

"I'm glad you are here", Charles whispered. "This is more than I can possibly bear." She could hardly stand the look upon his face, full of sorrow and worry. With a sudden fit of affection she touched his cheek to also give him some comfort. She could not do more right now although she longed to place a kiss on his cheek as well.

"Let me take over from here." Elise laid a hand on Anna's shoulder, gently leading her out of the embrace and back to the table "Oh dear", The face of the young woman was red and puffy. "We better get you upstairs for the rest of the day. You really need some rest." She supported Anna as best as she could and led her out of the room, looking once more over her shoulder back to where Charles still stood rooted on the spot.

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><p>After Mrs. Hughes had insisted that she stayed in her room for the rest of the day, she had sat on her bed for at least an hour, staring out of the window to a far off point in the countryside. She did not perceive the summer trees and colourful flowers down in the gardens, did not hear the birds sing nor feel the warm breeze that entered her room through the window ajar. Anna was racking her brain for a solution, for anything she could do to save John. She needed to find out as much as possible about Vera Bates for the first hearing.<p>

When he had made up her mind, she sat down at the little desk to write a letter. To her surprise the words were pouring out easily onto the paper. After she had finished the letter she did not reread it but simply put it in an envelope, sealed it and scribbled down the address. Then she decided to get some rest and cuddled into her blankets in hope for at least a wonderful dream.

Hours later she awoke from a horrible nightmare. She had seen how it had happened, in her dream, with her own eyes. Her nightgown clung to her body, wet from her sweat. She needed a while to realize that she was still in her room and not in this horrible smelling flat. Outside the sun did not yet set and the sky was a tinge of red and yellow. She had a look at her watch. The clock-hand indicated that it was only nine. Anna decided to get some fresh air. There was no other way to get rid of the visions she had experienced a moment ago. She needed to clear her head before she could finally go to sleep properly.

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><p>When he was done with his evening routine, Charles was glad that the day was finally over. The last door he was about to lock was the back door of the servant's hall when he saw Anna standing outside, her arms wrapped around her body in a useless attempt to keep herself warm. He sighed at the sight of her. She had so much to cope with and he could just hope that he and Elsie could give her enough support.<p>

"Anna, what are you doing here at this time of night? Unless I am mistaken Mrs. Hughes had sent you to your room earlier." He stepped into the backyard.

"Sorry to bother you Mr. Carson I will be upstairs in a minute." She could not tell him the truth about what she had witnessed in her dreams. Nevertheless it was ridiculous to even consider this nightmare as a piece of fact. "I needed some fresh air to calm my nerves."

"Lucky for you that neither Ms. O'Brien nor Thomas are around", he chuckled, referring to their nasty habit of smoking too many cigarettes. "Anyway it's getting too cold for you to stay here much longer unless you want to catch a cold." Anna just wrapped her arms tighter around her shoulders and kept on starring into the darkness with Charles standing beside her, guarding her, waiting for her to be ready to go back inside.

A familiar female voice penetrated the moment of silence that had built up between Charles and Anna. "There you are. Thought you had already gone to bed without telling me and I would have taken this as an affront. " Elsie's unmistakable broad Scottish accent approached from behind, her voice teasing and in this tone she had reserved for him when they were alone. A second later she stopped dead in her tracks noticing that Charles was not alone. She had only seen his outline when she stepped through the open backdoor and now Anna's back appeared in her field of view. She bit her tongue. At least she had not called him Charles.

"Anna? What are you doing down her in the cold lass?" She beheld her absent view and Charles worried expression. They had had enough bad news for one day and Elsie urgently hoped that this small gathering was not held because of another fatal discovery.

"She needed some fresh air", Charles explained so that Anna did not have to tell her story again. "So I decided to stay with her for a while. What good does it do to sit in a room all day with no company at all."

"Mind if I also join your company?" Elsie asked and to her surprise Anna looked up to her showing a small smile. Charles held out his hand for Elsie and she hesitantly took it. He reassuringly stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. Obviously it was fine with him to show this small gesture of closeness. Besides there was no one there to see it, except for Anna. Elsie could live with that. Moments like these were rare, so she enjoyed feeling his warm, firm grip on her hand even more.

Preoccupied in thoughts the three of them stood in the backyard for another ten minutes, Charles and Elsie behind Anna's back, holding hands while none of them spoke a word. The sun had long set and the chilly night air was starting to make them all shiver.

"Unless we all want to catch a summer cold we should better go inside now." It was Charles who unexpectedly broke the silent pondering. "As for me, I could really use a hot cup of tea."

Anna turned around a thankful smile on her face. "Thank you so much for everything, Mr. Carson." Her gaze caught the butler's hand which was not withdrawn fast enough from the housekeeper's. So they had been holding hands all the while. Anna had somehow sensed that and could not help but grin. "Mrs. Hughes, I have never felt more secure in this house than in the last weeks. I know that I should not bother you with my problems and that everything that had happened also means an extra burden to your daily duties…" she wanted to go on but Elsie indicated her to stop talking.

"We are there to care for you Anna. It is part of my job to help you, to guide you and to support you no matter what happens. Besides I have always cared for you since the day you came here and you know that."

Yes, she knew. And it was one of the main reasons why she confided in Elsie Hughes. She was like the caring mother she never had. "I will not tell on your little secret", Anna suddenly remarked.

Charles cleared his throat. So Anna _had_ noticed it. "What do you mean?" But Elsie's broad smile gave them away anyway.

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><p><em>AN So York Prison actually was no longer a public prison in 1919 but a Military Prison. But I could not find any information about London Prisons at that time. All the ones I looked up where closed and the others I found were from the 1960s and later. So If anyone knows which London Prison operated in 1919 please let me know and I will change the location :). _

_As always your reviews are more than welcome! I love them :)_


	8. Chapter 8

_So, time will run faster from now on because otherwise this will turn into a 20 chapter story or even longer! I took some of the ideas from poma14's "Hours 'til dawn". Thanks for your permission!_

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><p>The letter arrived in the morning post. Marigold Shore was surprised to find it on her chest of drawers when she returned from dressing Lady Rosamund. One of the housemaids must have put it there. She had never seen the handwriting but when her gaze fell upon the sender's address a shiver ran down her spine. Some one knew about it! She made sure that no one else was around the servant's quarters and shut the door to her room, the envelope still in her hand, now weighing more than just a few grams.<p>

She tore it open, fumbling out the letter. It was the handwriting of a woman. Marigold stumbled through the letter, read it a second and a third time until she was sure that this was a request for help and not another blackmailing. She looked at the envelope, to make sure it was really her name on it. The address was the one from her former employee, Lady Flincher. Someone must have forwarded the letter to Lady Rosamund's place.

A housemaid from Downton Abbey had written to her. Inquiring after a certain Vera Bates with whom she was supposed to be acquainted. In fact Marigold knew a Vera Bates. They had worked together for a while but the woman was also one of the reasons why she had left her former employment. Vera's sole pleasure lay in gossiping about everyone she had ever encountered. She was particularly known for telling the story about a certain Mr. Pamuk and how he had died at Downton Abbey. Her estranged husband was a valet there and whenever she spoke of him, her face turned red with fury. Marigold often pretended to like Vera's stories, it made working with her much easier, but after a while she could not stand the hatred and vanity of this woman anymore. Especially after an incident which made herself the source of gossip.

Now that Marigold worked for the daughter of Downton's Dowager countess, she was better informed about what was going on at the estate than ever. Lady Rosamund also loved to gossip and so Marigold knew of the engagement of Sir Richard to Lord Grantham's oldest daughter Mary. What she did not know was that Vera Bates' husband was accused of having murdered her.

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><p>Solicitor Marcus Baker was shuffling through the papers ha had received from his colleague Murray this afternoon. The case file "John Bates" was a particularly tricky one. The evidence too fatal for Mr. Bates to be found not guilty, yet the more complex a case was, the more enthusiasm Baker put into it. Since four weeks, Mr. Bates was in police custody and on Friday they had transferred him to York prison for a first hearing. Baker still had one week to gather enough information about John Bates so that he could present the case in front of the court without further humiliating or incriminating the poor man.<p>

This afternoon he would meet Mr. Bates for the first time and discuss the facts and the possible witnesses they could present at court. The list Baker had set up so far was rather short. It included Lord Grantham of course, a certain Charles Carson, butler at Downton Abbey, a few of Bates old comrades from the Army – none of them really close friends with him as Baker came to know during his research – his wife Anna (Baker was not sure if this would really help the case), Lady Flincher, Vera Bates' former employer, and a few other people from the opposing party. Including the general that had accused John Bates decades ago of stealing the army silver.

Baker decided that his next step would be to inform the witnesses of their necessity to make their testimony in front of the court next week. Then he would take the short walk over to the prison grounds to finally talk to John Bates. He was curious what kind of character would await him there.

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><p>Over the last week, the scenes Anna had seen in her dream refused to leave her head. She relived them over and over again until she could no longer bear them. She had to tell someone about her vision although to any other person than herself it must sound as if she had gone mad. Though, who could blame her after all that had happened last month? After she had finished her work on the top floor, assisting Lady Mary und Lady Edith, she decided to talk to Mrs. Hughes. Most of the other servants had already retired to their rooms after a rather extended dinner that night. Anna was one of the last housemaids to be still busy.<p>

She descended the stairs to the servant quarters, pondering over how to tell Mrs. Hughes about her dream without making a fool of herself. Downstairs all was quite now. Mrs. Patmore had already left the kitchen, no kitchen maid was around anymore. With all the servants gone, the basement felt rather odd and a bit eerie, Anna thought and she wondered if Mrs. Hughes was still in her sitting room but when she approached her door she could see a glimmer of light behind it. Anna straightened her back and knocked.

Elsie jumped at the knock, breaking the kiss immediately. "I thought everyone had already gone to bed", she whispered, a slight uneasiness in her voice. Hastily she tucked the lose strands of hair back into place and closed the top buttons on the front of her dress.

"Did you lock the door?" Charles put on his jacket and redid his tie.

"Not tonight I'm afraid." She stood up, taking a quick look in the mirror and adjusting her dress when a second knock penetrated the silence.

"You look fine to me. Whoever it is will notice nothing", he smiled dearly. "I better change my location and go over to the armchair."

Elsie nodded her approval making sure he was settled into her armchair with a book in his hand before she halfway opened the door. She was surprised to find Anna standing in front of it. "Anna, what are you still doing down here?" Her words were uttered a bit too fast.

"Sorry to disturb you Mrs. Hughes but can I have a word with you? It's really important." The door to her sitting room was only half open and Anna was afraid that she had actually disturbed the housekeeper. When Mrs. Hughes showed no immediate reaction to her request, she felt rather awkward and bit her lip.

Anna did not look well at all, Elsie thought. Her complexion paler than usual and the shadows around her eyes told her that she had not been blessed with a lot of sleep lately. Still startled from her sudden appearance it took her a while to come up with an answer to the girl's question. At least Anna would not be surprised to find them both in her sitting room at such a late hour. "Of course you can. Come in."And she fully opened the door revealing Charles.

"Good evening Anna. Is everything alright?" he inquired noticing her somewhat distracted look.

How come she had not thought of Mr. Carson? The awkwardness was almost as unbearable now as the story that had kept her mind so busy. Anna swallowed down the lump in her throat. "Everything is fine, Mr. Carson. There is just something on my mind I can no longer keep to myself."

Feeling the uneasiness of the girl, Elsie took hold of her elbow and guided her to her settee. "You better sit down and relax. Would a cup of tea make you feel better?"

Anna nodded and thankfully accepted the offer, taking a small sip before she spoke again. Both, the eyes of Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes' eyes were now on her, waiting for the story she had come to tell. It took all of her strength to do so.

"Well it might sound a bit odd but a week ago I had a terrible nightmare involving Vera Bates", she began.

"There is nothing strange about that considering the circumstances of how Mrs. Bates had interfered with your life so far." Elsie tried to soothe her, stroking her hand.

"That's true Mrs. Hughes and at first I thought that my mind was just playing me a mean trick but then I realized that I stood in a sitting room in London. Actually it was Mrs. Bates'." Her mouth went dry but she could not raise the cup of tea to her mouth now because her hands started to shake. "I saw her screaming at someone, furiously but I could not see who else was in the room. At first I thought it must be John, Mr. Bates. But then my point of view changed and I realized that Sir Carlisle was standing in a corner by the door." She spoke without haste and related this scene without any emotion. It felt as if she was describing what she had seen on a painting or on a picture in the newspaper.

Charles had put aside the book and was anxiously listening. Elsie stared at Anna, whose eyes were fixed to a spot on the wall while she went on. "'If you tell that story, I'm ruined and you know that' I heard Sir Richard say. And Vera answered 'I know but that's just the point! I want you to be ruined. I want you to suffer like I did when you made me sign this damned contract! The world need to know that Richard Carlisle is not a gentleman but a liar, an adulterer and a lecher'" Anna took a deep breath. "I know it is just a dream but it felt so real." She looked up to Mrs. Hughes who reassuringly squeezed her hand.

"You should be glad that it was just a dream", Charles sighed heavily. The things Vera Bates had said in her dream were matching the prejudices he had against that man perfectly. However he would never say them aloud.

"I'm afraid the dream did not end there", Anna admitted and managed to take another sip of tea to try to calm her nerves. "Vera then turned away from him but Sir Richard grabbed her shoulders and slammed her against the wall."

Elsie let out a small cry, covering her mouth with her hand an instant later.

"Vera laughed at him until he took hold of her throat and then", Anna's voice was getting quieter by the minute. "then he made her write that letter the police had found. Sir Richard said 'I will make sure that you will tell no one of it. Write, then drink this'. The next thing I saw was how Vera Bates collapsed on the floor." She had managed to tell it. The whole ghastly vision that had haunted her for a week now. Anna had not noticed the tears on her cheeks until she had finished her tale.

Charles was slowly getting up, walking out of the sitting room. Elsie stared at his back but was too occupied in comforting Anna to follow him. She laid an arm around the girl's shoulders and stroked her head, feeling her body tremble from uncontrollable sobbing. "Shhh. It was just a dream." Although all of this made perfect sense to her.

A moment later Charles returned with a tray containing three tumblers of brandy. "I thought this might help."

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><p>Marigold was distracted throughout the day. She could not stop thinking about that dreadful letter. Anna Bates was asking for her help. She needed information about Vera Bates. How she had behaved towards her former mistress, if there were any secrets she had told Marigold, anything that would help clear John Bates of the charges. She could think of one thing only but that meant that her future, her career, maybe even her life was threatened if she revealed it. Then again she could safe a live with her testimony and a young marriage. She was torn between her feelings.<p>

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><p><strong>Let me know what you think. I'm really curious about it! Thanks :)<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

A/N _I know I have neglected Charles and Elsie somehow. Sorry for that. The next fic I'll write will center on those two, promised . Still in this one they play a major role as a support for Anna and Bates and I hope this was made clear in the next two chapters._

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><p>"Marigold, you seem so preoccupied today. I said I wanted the ruby earrings and necklace not the emerald ones. How does this look in combination with this dress", Lady Rosamund held out the jewellery to Marigold without a second comment and the maid took it reluctantly. What did it matter if she wore red or green to a purple dress? Nevertheless, Marigold took out the requested pieces of jewellery and finished dressing Lady Rosamund.<p>

"Is there anything else I can do for you, milady?" she asked, hoping that there was not so that she could take care of her own matters for a while. Lady Rosamund shot her a curious glance.

"What are you up to?"

Marigold made an indifferent face. "Nothing, milady. I was just thinking about going into town this afternoon to get a few things done." She needed some time alone to think of her next steps. She felt that she had to do at least something but needed to make sure, no harm was done to her own reputation.

"Well, then you better be going or I change my mind and try the green dress instead." Lady Rosamund grinned at her lady's maid before she dismissed her.

Marigold returned to her room and read Anna's letter again. How could she answer to it without giving away too much information but sufficient enough to ease the worries this young woman had to endure. What she could write was that Vera Bates often cursed her husband for leaving her. Her swearing about him included threats of slapping his face the next time she would see him. Marigold was utterly shocked when Vera had the first rage in front of her. She had never heard a woman speak so hateful about her own husband. Anna had also asked if Vera had ever talked of the meeting she had with John Bates at Downton. Marigold just remembered a scene shortly after Vera Bates' return. She had muttered through gritted teeth that her husband would go to prison again for her, like he did before, if she had anything to say. Maybe this would help. She sat down at the small desk, took out some ink and paper and answered Anna's letter.

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><p>The meeting with this new lawyer his Lordship had sent to help him had been a bright spot in this otherwise depressing first week at York. John shared the floor mostly with impostors, thugs and robbers and as soon as the other inmates learned what he was accused off, he became the talk of the town. Whenever he had left his cell and was escorted along the floor the other men whistled and cheered. It was disgusting.<p>

Mr. Baker was a man almost his age with grey hair and a winning smile. He was the complete opposite of Mr. Murray who had always been rather pessimistic. Baker went through all the information he had so far gathered, updated John about the upcoming first hearing and had finally managed to sum up his case with a few words including 'do not keep any evidence back', 'tell them everything and do not care about the reputation of others' and 'you want to be a free man, so act like one.'

John was still thinking about the second advice: 'tell them everything'. He was not sure if this would make a difference in front of the court. It was his word against his dead wife's when it came to explain why he had been in prison before. In fact it seemed to him that it always was his word against Vera's, whatever he said. And additionally he also might need to confess that he had bribed her to consent to the divorce. There was so much evidence still against him.

"You see, Mr. Bates, we need to present this case in your favour. That is my job. I'm not here to accuse you or to question your innocence. Quite the contrary, I'm sure that with the witnesses I have so far found we can easily withstand the first hearing. Now, let's go through your answers again." And they rehearsed every possible question John might be confronted with at court.

Being alone in his cell again that evening, Mr. Baker's optimism was a mystery to John as much as it had brightened his day to talk to such an experienced lawyer, it also made him think about everything that had happened so far. Mr. Baker had made everything sound so easy. Though John knew that he was about to face the most terrible episode of his life.

* * *

><p>The next days were full of anxiety. First Lord Grantham had received his summons for the hearing then, one day later, Charles and Elsie had also been informed that they were needed at court to support Mr. Bates with their testimonies. Everybody was now preparing for the worst, even Ms O'Brien. To her surprise, she had also received a summons but could not think of anything that she could do to help John Bates out of prison. "You always get what you deserve", she muttered at breakfast when having read the letter. After all it had been her who had informed Vera Bates of her husband's whereabouts. Now she bitterly regretted it.<p>

"Beg your pardon?" Elsie had very well heard what the ladies maid had said.

"Never mind", O'Brien snapped and rose from her chair crumpling the piece of paper in her left hand. Breakfast was over anyway.

Though Elsie had no chance to see the letter she could figure out on her own accord who the sender had been. Apparently O'Brien would also accompany them to court the next day. Despite the fact that Elsie considered the ladies maid as the cause of Mr. Bates troubles, she thought it wise to have her as a witness. O'Brien had always been a source of information. She must have overheard something of importance. Elsie finished her tea and was about to go over to her sitting room to check the linen books when Charles intercepted her on the corridor. He had been summoned to a talk with Lord Grantham earlier during breakfast and had not all been pleased about that, she could tell by the look on his face.

"May I have a word with you?" he took her by the elbow and led her into his own sitting room. After closing the door behind them he took hold of her other elbow and drew her close.

Elsie was taken aback by this sudden intimacy. Although they were in his room and no one else was around to see them in this position, they were still very cautious about their relationship never risking anything out of the ordinary that might give them away and now this! "What is the matter?" she whispered and tried to read his face. It was obvious that he did not drag her into his room because he had the urgent desire to be close to her or to kiss her. There was something else.

"Anna was right", he whispered his answer, looking into her puzzled face. "There is indeed some secret about Sir Richard we were not aware of." His face now lightened and a small smile played around the corners of his mouth. Charles felt somehow cheery despite the upcoming day. This revelation would surely mean the turn of events.

Elsie was still too confused and overwhelmed by the situation to say anything helpful but "What are you trying to tell me?"

Instead of giving her a full explanation he placed a tender kiss on her lips. The situation was simply too tempting. She was about to protest – not here not now not at this time of the day! – but she could not resist and returned the kiss, maybe a bit too passionate because Charles let out a small groan. "We better not continue with this now", he let go of her elbows and placed his hands on her hips instead. "Otherwise I cannot guarantee to be able to manage my day", he paused to take in her endearing look.

"Well it was you who started to seduce me", she smiled at him but was still unsure where this might lead to.

"I had no intention of seducing you at this time of the day, Elsie. As I've said there is something we have discovered about Sir Richard Carlisle that puts another complexion on Mr. Bates case." His voice was unusually cheerful.

Now she was getting even more curious. "Would you please tell me what exactly it is, Charles? You know pretty well that I cannot stand it if someone is beating about the bush."

He let her go with another small kiss, this time on her forehead. "Well, it seems that Sir Richard _had_ actually threatened Vera Bates."

She let out a small sigh. "It sounds like something Ms. O'Brien would say rather than you. Since when are you interested in the latest gossip?" How could this information alter Mr. Bates situation? Sir Richard was not known to be a man that acknowledged a mistake, let alone confess a crime! He would make sure that no one ever found out. And after all, Anna had not witnessed what she had told them in reality but in a dream.

Charles straightened his back before he continued. "After Anna had told us about her _vision_ I took the liberty to tell his Lordship that there might be a connection between Sir Richard and Vera Bates we were not aware of."

"You did not!" Elsie could not believe what she had just heard. "She told us in confidence. Charles, it took her days to finally tell us what she had _seen._ How could you tell his Lordship about it?"

"I know, I know. But I could not get it out of my mind…"

She interrupted him in the middle of the sentence. "Nor could I and I'm sorry to have snapped at you. You only meant well."

"Never mind. You were right, Anna confided in us and it must have been a hard decision to let us know about her vision. Nevertheless it appeared to me that there must be some truth in it. So I talked to his Lordship the other day and just gave him a hint that Sir Richard might be involved in the matter."

"Is this the reason why he called for you this morning?"

"It was. He had made some inquiries amongst his acquaintances in London and it seems that after Vera Bates had agreed to his contract not to announce her story to another newspaper, hardly a week passed where she did not threaten him." Charles concluded his story and then took a look at Elsie who was obviously trying to classify the news. She had furled her eyebrows and was biting on her lip, her right hand playing with the chains of keys that were always dangling from her hip.

"What do we make of this now?" she finally asked.

Before Charles could think of an answer a knock on the door suddenly reminded them that they were not alone in this house.

It was again Anna who waited outside on the corridor a letter in her hand. Her face for a change looked rather cheerful. "Mr. Carson, Mrs. Hughes I've got news."

* * *

><p>It was the last evening before the first hearing. Most of the staff had gone to bed early. Miss O'Brien had been in a bad mood all day making waspish comments about everything and everybody that day until Elsie rebuked her with more rigour than she normally applied. At least it stopped O'Brien for the rest of the day and made working downstairs a bit easier.<p>

In contrast Anna was walking around with an almost cheerful face for the rest of the day. The letter she had received from Marigold Shore had eased her worries a bit. She could see a faint hope at least. Marigold needed to be summoned to court as a witness as well. She had worked with Vera Bates, she was the only person who could give an account of her character besides John Bates. And this would surely clear some of the charges, Anna was sure of it. According to Marigold, Vera had been quick-tempered and more than once threatened her husband. She was also known for her wickedness when it came to accuse other members of the household of offences. However, the most important revelation of the letter had been that Vera had also threatened Marigold Shore. The ladies maid did not expand on that but Anna was sure that she would sooner or later.

That night, Anna decided to go into tomorrow's interrogation with a smile. Besides, she had not seen him since he had been transferred to York and she wanted to show John that he did not have to worry about her.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for having stayed with me until now! I really appreciate it! Hope you still enjoy reading. Chapter 10 will be up tomorrow! Need to hurry up a bit.<em>


	10. Chapter 10

_Took a bit longer than just one day. I had to watch all the Christmas Special trailers first :)_

_So this is my version of the trial - set in summer. Hope you're still interested in reading this because I can't stop writing... there's still so much on my mind! Have fun. And let me know what you think._

* * *

><p>Elsie made sure that all of her staff had gone to bed before she went downstairs again to make her last round. She needed some time for herself to prepare for tomorrow. Moreover, her mind was still trying to sort the new information. Hopefully the court would consider this new evidence in a second hearing. But why shouldn't they? She banished her worries and finished her round in the kitchen to check that the storage cupboard was locked up, the windows closed and the stove put out. When that was done, she switched off the electric light and went along the dimly lit corridor to her own sitting room to grab her book. It was already half past ten and she needed a good night's rest to be able to face the judges tomorrow. To her surprise there was light coming from her room and the door was ajar.<p>

"I thought you had gone to bed already?" with an amused smile she entered her sitting room and closed the door.

Charles was sitting in her armchair reading a book. "I had just finished my rounds and believed that you were still around doing the same so I decided to wait for you here." He put the book on the small table next to him. "Besides we haven't seen a lot of each other today and I wanted to wish you at least a good night."

"Is that all?" she took a few steps in his direction, noticing that he had already filled two wineglasses with the remains of the dinner wine for them.

"Actually I was hoping that we could continue what we started this morning." He admitted and a sheepish grin appeared on his face. The tense atmosphere that had seized the house for the last days had driven them apart somehow. They had not spent an evening together for four days now and Charles needed something to distract him from the upcoming day. Although he thought this was a really selfish action.

Elsie was now standing before him, her legs slightly touching his knees, looking down into his eyes that were reflecting the light from the small table lamp beside him. "How did I end up with you Charles Carson?" she asked wryly.

His hands moved upwards to cover her hips. "You applied for the open job as a head housemaid a long time ago, I believe", he answered with a serious expression on his face that made her laugh.

"Silly man", Elsie scolded him. He knew perfectly well that whenever he set up this unmoving face she had to laugh and was willing to do everything for him.

"Now will you join me?" He snatched one of the glasses that stood beside him on the table and held it out for her.

"Alright then, but we cannot both sit on this chair. And I'm not a little girl anymore who sits on other people's laps." She guided him over to her settee and settled herself next to him, enjoying the quiet of the night and his arm around her shoulder. For a while neither of them talked. Elsie had rested her head against his broad shoulders, taking a sip of the delicious wine now and then whilst her thoughts roamed around in her head all the time. "I'm afraid of tomorrow." And she meant what she said. After she had received the letter from Mr. Bates lawyer she was afraid of the interrogation, afraid to say something wrong and to make things even worse. Though there was absolutely nothing she could think of that could be used against John Bates. No one of the staff would consider her a weak person, Elsie thought. So she had kept her supportive mood up although she did not feel strong at all.

"I think we all are", Charles put aside both of their glasses and turned Elsie around to face him. "There is no need for you to pretend otherwise." He kissed her forehead and then wrapped his arms around her back. "Anna and Mr. Bates know that we will do our best to support them." They sat like this until the clock on the mantlepiece chimed midnight.

* * *

><p>The early daylight crept into his cell through the only window. John not slept at all and had sat on his bed for hours. He would have to face not only the judges for the first time today but also the witnesses Mr. Baker and the prosecutor had summoned. John knew that Anna was amongst them as well as Lord Grantham and probably also Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes. He also hoped that Miss O'Brien would appear in front of the court today. Once more he went through the answers he had memorized. Once more he reminded himself of the most important thing Mr. Baker had told him, "tell them everything and do not care about the reputation of others".<p>

* * *

><p>They arrived at court early and had to wait outside the courtroom lined up on a long bench standing in front of it. Lord Grantham had assured all of them that today was only the start of a long series of hearing and that there was no reason to worry. It would probably take months until the judges had rendered a final sentence. They were just the first witnessed to be called for a testimony and it might not be the last call.<p>

So they sat there and waited. Lord Grantham stood next to Matthew Crawley who was accompanied by Lady Mary. She reassuringly held Anna's hand in hers. Elsie sat on the other side, her hand resting on Anna's shoulder to console her. For her own comfort she was more than relieved that Charles had taken the seat next to her, his leg slightly touching her thigh to let her also feel that he was there for her. He knew that Elsie's outward appearance was a result of last night's talk and comfort. Charles was tempted to also hold her hand but withstood the urge. He would not give them away. Not now. Miss O'Brien already eyed him suspiciously since Charles had for only a few seconds dared to look at Elsie. The ladies maid and Mrs. Crawley where the last two witnesses from Downton.

After what had felt an hour the doors to the courtroom finally opened and a police officer asked them in. They were instructed to take their seats behind the defence counsel. Mr. Baker greeted them almost cheerfully.

The atmosphere in the room was getting more strained when the judges entered. Everybody rose from their seats. A moment later another door at the back of the room opened and Mr. Bates was walked in, his hands in handcuffs.

At least he was not wearing a convict's uniform, Anna thought when she spotted him. Her face lit up a little and she managed to smile at him before they were made to sit down again.

The moment John had been led through the door into the courtroom he had scanned the faces of the audience, eager to find Anna's among them. When he finally caught side of her, standing between Lady Mary and Mrs. Hughes, his heart jumped. The timid smile on her lips almost made him cry.

* * *

><p>The hearing started with the presentation of the case. The prosecuting party however made it sound as if John Bates had not only been a murderer but also a liar and was not to be trusted at all. Charles had almost uttered a short and clear "stop it" but only managed to open and close his mouth because he suddenly felt Elsie's hand on his knee.<p>

She had noticed how his body had tensed up next to her and knew that he was as shocked as she was by the words they had just heard. But if this first hearing was to be a success they all had to control themselves, more or less. Because she did not withdraw her hand. It comforted her to feel Charles, even if there were several layers of cloth between her hand and his thigh.

When Mr. Baker stood up to read out the case from John Bates' point of view, Charles took hold of her hand and did not let it go until he got called into the witness stand.

* * *

><p>John had to stand up for his interrogation in front of the court. Ready to tell them everything and to answer every question truthfully.<p>

"Mr. Bates", the prosecution started, "you are accused of having murdered your wife, Vera Bates. How long were you married?"

"We were married for fifteen years, Sir."

"And you lived together for how many years?"

"It must have been seven years." John could not really remember when he had left his wife. At this time he seldom had a sober day.

"So you do not really know? How's that?" The prosecutor gave him a challenging look.

This was one of the moments, Mr. Baker had warned him of. Do not give away too much but tell the truth. "When I left my wife we were not on good terms. I had gone to prison for her and when I was discharged and returned to what had once been my home I did not recognize my wife anymore. She had changed and so had I. We tried to get on but it was impossible. It pained me too much that we had become so estranged. I started to drink more than was good for me to relieve this pain and one day I could not stand it any longer and went away."

"Did you ever get rough with her?"

John closed his eyes and recalled a moment he had rather erased from his memory. "Yes. Once. When she had just admitted that there had been other men in her bed." He could not look at Anna right now and stared at the wall panelling. He wished she had never heard what he had just said.

"Only once?"

"Yes, only once."

"What happened after you went away? Why did you not get a divorce?" Another tricky question.

"I worked at a small hotel in a different town where no one knew me. When I was finally able to manage my life again and had stopped drinking I tried to find her but could not. So I decided to go on with my life pretending that Vera no longer existed." Although she was always there like a haunting shadow.

"Why did you decide to go to Downton? You did not think it necessary to look for your wife. "

"I had read the job advertisement and believed that this was my chance to return to a normal life. She had ruined my life and I did not want that to happen again."

"But you did not tell your whole story. You kept your past to yourself."

"Yes I did but it was necessary to start a new life", he answered rather impulsively.

"And when your wife suddenly found out where you lived and worked, you wanted to get rid of her", the questioning was getting more and more intense.

"I would not phrase it like that but I wanted to get a divorce but she would not agree." John tried to keep calm and just this once looked at Anna who nodded encouraging. "Then I made a mistake I deeply regret now. I offered her money to agree to a divorce."

"Oh I see. Besides, didn't you also start an affair with one of the housemaids?"

"Only when I was sure that I would be divorced soon", he uttered through gritted teeth.

"Thank you, Mr. Bates. That was my last question."

Mr. Baker then in return tried to smooth the testimony Bates had just made with his questioning. But the first impression the audience got from John Bates was not a good one.

* * *

><p>"We are here today to get a detailed picture of the case that has been presented to you, ladies and gentlemen. Therefore we will now also hear the witness statements which will add to the evidence we already have on this case. May I please see The Earl of Grantham as the first witness", the judge called out after they had a small break.<p>

Lord Grantham came forward and identified himself before he made his oath to tell nothing but the truth. John had his hands folded on his lap and said a silent prayer, taking a deep breath before he looked up again, directly into his employers face. What he saw there, filled him with new confidence.

"Lord Grantham, am I right that you are Mr. Bates last employer?" the prosecutor started with his questions.

"That is true."

"And am I also right when I say that you had known said Mr. Bates since the Boer War where he was your comrade in arms?"

Lord Grantham affirmed this question as well.

"Were you on equal terms during the Boer War?"

"No. I was Mr. Bates superior", he answered hesitantly not sure where this question was leading to. "But I never acted like this. So you could say that we were on equal terms, yes."

"But when Mr. Bates applied as your valet you established a hierarchy. You were clearly his superior", the prosecution went on.

"I would not say so. Sure, I was now his employer but I treated him like a friend. We exchanged views and also talked about other matters that did not involve the household…"

He was interrupted by Mr. Baker. "Can you please bring this to an end. We are just here to hear what the witnesses have to add to the case. You are already cross-examining Lord Grantham."

"Alright, my final question: Would you say that, as a friend, Mr. Bates had always been honest to you. Honesty is one of the most important traits of friendship, don't we agree on that."

John held his breath. He now knew where this was leading and inwardly hoped that his Lordship would somehow find a good way of manoeuvring around this question.

Lord Grantham hesitated a second time before he phrased his answer, looking at Anna whilst he spoke. "No, he had not always been honest to me." Anna let out a silent 'no'. "That is, he withheld information from me that would have ruined the reputation of my family. What he did was only for my best." But the damage was done already.

It was now Mr. Bakers turn. "Lord Grantham despite of what we had just heard, would you say that Mr. Bates was a reliable servant?"

"Indeed he is. I never had a more reliable valet."

"Would you also say that he was a faithful servant?"

"We can agree on that." Lord Grantham replied, happy to be interrogated by the defence now.

"So when you heard of the accusation, what did you think?"

It was an easy question. Everyone in the courtroom had already eagerly waited for it.

"I thought it was ridiculous! I know John Bates and although he might have had difficulties with his wife, he is incapable of such a devious action!"

Mr. Baker replied with just one word. "Why?"

And for the third time, it took Lord Grantham a moment before he answered. "When we were fighting in Africa he never fired a bullet, he never killed a single man. He despised the useless killing."

* * *

><p>When Lord Grantham returned to his seat, Anna managed to meet his gaze. "I did what was in my power", his Lordship whispered. She knew he did and whispered "thank you" in return before her attention was drawn back to the judge who called the second witness.<p>

When Charles heard the judge state his full name he took one deep breath to dispel the uneasiness that suddenly came over him and stood up. Before he let go of Elsie's hand he gave it a small but reassuring squeeze, making sure that no one else noticed it, except for Anna.

From the raised position of the witness stand he was able to overlook the courtroom. It would have been an understatement to say that the room was crowded. Every free seat was occupied. People were even standing in the back of the large hall. Charles had not noticed that so many spectators had rolled in after they had taken their seats in the front row. Although he never had had a problem to speak in front of a group of strangers the situation he was now in was somehow different from everything else he had so far experienced. The uneasiness he had tried to overcome was back.

"Mr. Charles Carson, you are employed at Downton Abbey now for almost 30 years?" The prosecutor posed his first question all of a sudden.

"That is correct, Sir." He tried not to let his nervousness show.

"So you saw many servants coming and going I guess?"

"Well, yes", was his hesitant reply. "But that's a normal thing when you work at a big estate such as Downton."

"How many valets did Lord Grantham employ since you work for him?"

It took him a while to go through their names. "Six, Sir." Had it really been as many?

"That means a new valet was hired approximately every five years." The prosecutor was now standing right in front of him, looking up to scrutinize his appearance which mad Charles even more nervous.

"If you look at it that way, yes. The first valet I got to know left the estate soon after I arrived at Downton. The second one had married. Mr. Bishop, who was his Lordships third valet was dismissed after we found out that he was a gambler. He was followed by Mr. Leighton and then by Mr. Watson who fell ill and did not recover." Charles had felt the need to lengthen this answer to make the judge understand that there had been some problems with this position for a long time and that it had not been Mr. Bates' fault, that he did not trust him at first.

"That's quite interesting I would say. We have been told that when Mr. Bates came to Downton you did not think him capable of his job. Is that true? You would have dismissed him right away when you were informed of his past."

He had somehow foreseen this question though he had tried to avoid it by his previous answer. "Mr. Bates has some trouble with his right leg and at first I was not sure if he could manage all that was asked of him. But he proved me wrong and I had to correct my first impression of him. And his past did not interfere with his work at all."

"And now he is perfectly capable of his job?"

"Yes, Sir. We couldn't do without his help anymore. He is a very reliable man and he never disappointed us."

"Nevertheless he was dismissed by Lord Grantham once but returned immediately. Then he went to London to life with his wife. He returned a few years later. Would you call that reliable Mr. Carson, didn't his past interfere with his work here?"

No he would not but he could impossible say that in front of the court.

"Mr. Carson, do I have to repeat my question?" the prosecutor asked.

"Mr. Bates is a reliable valet. You can trust him and he does whatever he is asked. His time away had nothing to do with his work." Charles tried his best not to make matters worse for Mr. Bates. Obviously on the edge now, the prosecutor turned away from him and passed him on to Mr. Baker. Charles finally felt the nervousness ease off a little.

"Well done, Mr. Carson", the lawyer congratulated him. "So to sum it up, Mr. Bates is a reliable and trustworthy man who had proven that a man can change for the better."

Lucky to be out of the clutches of the prosecution his quick answer was, "Yes, that sums it up perfectly."

"Was there ever an incident when Mr. Bates lost his temper? I think this is one of the questions Mr. Morgan initially wanted to ask but did not manage to." Baker gave the prosecutor a nod.

"Mr. Bates never lost his temper, Mr. Baker."

"Thank you Mr. Carson, that was all."

* * *

><p>He was happy that this interrogation was over for now. When he returned to his seat, Anna as well as Elsie gave him a thankful smile and he was grateful for that. As soon as sat down again his hand reached out to grasp Elsie's again and this time he did not care if anyone noticed it.<p>

Mr. Morgan and Mr. Baker now presented some witnesses from Mr. Bates past. There was an army general who further incriminated him by giving an account of a fight between Mr. Bates and a superior Sergeant. It seemed that everything Charles had just said was overrode by this single testimony.

A maid that had shared a room with Vera Bates at her last employment described what had happened after John Bates had returned to London for the first time. From her point of view it sounded as if Vera had provoked John Bates on a constant level. "No wonder he had lost his temper."

* * *

><p>They had already been in the court room for three hours when Elsie was finally called to make her testimony.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N Thank you so much for your reviews! I wanted to have this done by today...but there was no time ;). So have fun watching the Christmas Episode now and I'll try to not let it influence the story ... I won't be able to watch it now anyway _

_The characters are not mine. They belong to ITV and to Mr. Fellowes. _

* * *

><p>The atmosphere was rather tense now because the last testimonies had only revealed more evidence that incriminated Mr. Bates. Elsie was one of the last witnesses that might be able to relieve the charges. She was well aware of that when she stepped into the witness stand and it caused her hands to tremble. Elsie had to steady herself by holding on to the balustrade in order to stop the tremor. She took the oath and was then confronted by the first question of the persecution though she was not at all ready to face the upcoming interrogation.<p>

"Mrs. Hughes, as the housekeeper of Downton Abbey I gather you have the perfect overview over what is happening at the household at large, especially when it comes to the other servants."

"That is correct Sir, and as a housekeeper it is one of my duties to supervise a large part of the other servants. I have to know what is happening otherwise I'm not doing my job properly." Her Scottish accent was slightly more pronounced and the answer she first had in mind had been much shorter but whenever she was nervous she tended to justify herself.

"It was no surprise to you then when you discovered the relationship that had developed between Mr. Bates and one of the housemaids?"

"Mrs. Bates is the head housemaid, Sir", Elsie knew that this was irrelevant, however she felt the urge to correct Mr. Morgan. "And I have to admit that it took me by surprise to find out about their relationship."

"They were good at keeping it a secret then?"

"When you work at an estate like Downton Abbey you must be aware of that a relationship between two servants is regarded reason enough for a dismissal. So it is only natural that Mr. Bates kept it a secret."

The prosecutor raised his eyebrows at her last answer. "Why didn't you dismiss them then when they had clearly broken this unwritten law?"

Because sometimes you have to listen to what your heart tells you and not what your head tries to persuade you of, Elsie thought and allowed herself a quick glance over to Charles before she decidedly answered, "There was no need for it. Their relationship did not affect their work." Her nervousness was slowly backing off and she loosened the grip on the balustrade. Her hands were no longer shaking and her confidence seemed to return.

"May I return to my first question: In your position you have the best overview of what is happening in and around Downton Abbey. So what did you know about Mr. Bates past?"

"When he arrived we knew nothing about him only that he had served with his Lordship in the Boer War, later I found out about his imprisonment and that he was actually married. " she shortened this part as much as was possible. "We were all rather shocked when we learned that Mr. Bates had been in prison but he has served his sentence and we should not judge him by what he has done wrong in the past." It is the present that counts, she wanted to add but the triumphant look on Mr. Morgan's face made her stop in her explanation.

"That's quite an interesting point Mrs. Hughes because right now we will judge Mr. Bates because of his past." Mr. Morgan sneered. Part of the jury grinned at the observation the persecutor had just made and Elsie's confidence fell to pieces again. Mr. Morgan savoured this short moment to the last before he continued. "When Vera Bates appeared at Downton for the first time you must have been shocked as well."

Not as much as Anna was, she thought. "Well, we did not expect Mr. Bates to be married albeit he and his wife clearly drifted apart a while ago."

"From what I've heard they had a very heated argument. Mrs. Hughes did he threaten to strike her?"

In his interrogation Mr. Morgan had often used the term 'shocked' and for the first time since she had entered the witness stand, Elsie experienced exactly this. It spread through her body like a virus. She was compelled to tell the truth in front of the court and the jury. In front of all these strangers she now had to confess something which could seal John Bates' fate. But what was even worse: they weren't all strangers. On that bench to her right Anna was praying for her husband life.

"I'm afraid he did. Yes", she replied soundlessly.

"Thank you Mrs. Hughes. I have no further questions."

Anna's eyes widened with shock and she squeezed Lady Mary's hand firmly to release some of it although her first intention had been to scream out loud. This could not be true. Mrs. Hughes must have misunderstood something. For the rest of Elsie's testimony, Anna stared at the wooden railing in front of her.

Elsie's answers to Mr. Baker's sensitive questions were short and crisp. She answered either with a "yes" or a "no" and extended her answers only when necessary. The rest of her interrogation passed by like a bad dream. She did not even realize when the lawyer released her.

"Mrs. Hughes, I have no further questions you can return to your seat", Baker said a second time.

Elsie suddenly remembered where she was and stepped out of the witness stand. The short way back to her seat seemed like an endless walk and when she finally sat again she felt how her legs were still shaking. She leant back and closed her eyes as she could not look at anyone right now let alone be in this room for a minute longer. She did not realise that Miss O'Brien was the next and final witness at this first hearing. Elsie completely blanked out the world around her. She could hear people talk somewhere in the court room but the words meant nothing to her.

* * *

><p>His heart ached when he saw how miserable she looked while answering this one crucial question. If he had not been forced by the rules of the court to stay on his seat, Charles would have immediately jumped up to comfort Elsie. He wanted to embrace her, hold her, and ease the pain and shock she was in. But that was impossible in his current situation.<p>

When Elsie finally returned to her place he could feel her tenseness, saw how she wrung her hands and pressed them so tightly together that the knuckles turned white. She had closed her eyes and when he moved closer so that their shoulders slightly touched, Elsie tensed up even more. He tried to reach out for her hands, carefully touching her fingers and felt relieved when she at least allowed him to cover both her hands in his.

* * *

><p>Miss O'Brien had a hard time in front of the court. First she had to admit that it had actually been her who had told Vera Bates of her husband's whereabouts. It was due to her intrigue that they were in this courtroom now. She had to confess that as well. She spoke of her dislike for Mr. Bates which she had maintained until the day they had been informed of his wife's death. It was a plain fact to anyone in the courtroom that Sarah O'Brien was a vile person but one that had suddenly realized that her actions and behaviour had caused a threat to a man's life. With her answer to Mr. Baker's final question she at least contributed to Mr. Bates mitigation.<p>

"He said on the phone that there was no poison in their flat." O'Brien gave an account of what she had overheard the other night while Mr. Bates was talking to his wife.

"And he was sure of that?" Mr. Baker probed.

"He sounded pretty convinced to me."

"Miss O'Brien, thank you for your help. You can return to your seat now."

* * *

><p>After almost four hours of interrogations, questions and testimonies the hearing was over. The court closed the case for this day and scheduled the second hearing in four weeks. Anna tried to steal one more glance of her husband's face but John had already been escorted out of the courtroom by two police officers. She stood rooted to the spot staring in the direction where John had sat a minute earlier. She so longed to embrace him after this day. Anna wanted to comfort him and tell him that everything would be alright in the end. There had been more testimonies in his favour than against him. This was more than she had hoped for.<p>

"Anna, we should be going now", she heard Charles deep voice next to her and just then realized that all the others had already left the room. Only the two of them remained.

"Where is Mrs. Hughes?" Anna had not noticed that she had already left. Although what she had said in front of the court was a shock to her at first, Anna could not blame her. Not after all the support she had given her so far. It was not Mrs. Hughes fault that Vera Bates had intruded their lives and it was not her fault that John had threatened his wife. However, Anna wished that this one question had never been asked in front of the court.

"They are all waiting outside", he looked down into the young woman's face. To his surprise he could not find a hint of fear in them instead Anna had gained new strength. He wished he could see the same optimism in Elsie's face but since she had made her testimony she had neither spoken a word nor looked at him or Anna. "We should join them or otherwise they will leave without us."

* * *

><p>Elsie closed the door to her sitting room behind her and leaned her back against it. She had been the first to enter the house through the servant's entrance. Charles and Anna had been walking behind her while she had quickened her path to get some privacy before anyone else could catch up with her. She needed some time alone now, the scene in the courtroom still weighed heavily on her heart. Elsie slowly took of her hat, her gloves and her coat and neatly hung them up. She unconsciously checked her pinned-up hair in the mirror, rearranging it here and there were some of the curls had gone loose until she at last saw the reflection of her miserable face in front of her. She paused for a moment, looking into her own eyes and then felt the warm tears that ran down her cheeks.<p>

It had been a simple question, one she should have seen coming. After all they had been summoned to court for a first hearing, ready to make their testimonies in front of the judges and in front of the jury. What did she expect? That the prosecution would only ask nice and easy question? Certainly not! They wanted proof that Mr. Bates had killed his wife. And as long as they could not present an eye witness, they would judge on the basis of other witnesses' testimonies such as hers. For the flicker of an instant she regretted that she had not simply denied what she had heard. But telling a lie would not have made things easier.

She would never forget the look on Anna's face though. The optimism the young woman had sustained so far had crumbled to pieces. What would she think of her now?

A hesitant knock on the door made her flinch. Why can't she be left alone at least today? Elsie hastily wiped away the tears and opened the door. "Are you alright?" the expression on his face spoke volumes. He looked almost as miserable as she felt, eyebrows sorrowfully raised, his voice gentle and concerned.

She wanted to answer 'Perfectly alright. Thank you' but could not. For once her strength and discipline had abandoned her. "Would you mind if I take the rest of the day off?"

Charles reached out to take her hand. "Not at all. We will manage. But wouldn't it be better to talk to someone, to talk to Anna?" He placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

"Maybe later." She withdrew her hand and left the room leaving him behind, staring after her.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day went by in its ordinary pace. Household matters distracted almost everyone from what had happened in York earlier. And after Mrs. Patmore had been given a full report of the hearing she finally stopped asking unnecessary questions and for once went on with her work without bossing her kitchen maids around. They were all in a rather gloomy mood that afternoon. No one seemed to notice that Mrs. Hughes was not with them. Except for Charles.<p>

After she had hurriedly left her sitting room he thought she had gone upstairs to her room to get some rest. So after an hour he decided to risk another attempt to talk to her. He knew that she was blaming herself for what was said in front of the court. However, when he knocked at her door, she did not answer. Charles turned the doorknob and found her room locked. "Mrs. Hughes?" Again he got no answer. She must have left the house without giving notice.

In fact Elsie had only grabbed her shawl from her room earlier and had decided to take a walk along the endless grounds of Downton Abbey. The weather was still fine and a warm wind was blowing. After all the hours in the courtroom, being outdoors felt like living in a different world. She walked along the gardens at the back of the house to the old servants cottages next to the stables. This place was seldom visited by the domestic servants. Elsie could not remember when she had been there the last time but it must have been at least ten years. She went on and found a bench near a little stream that ran along the back of the premises. This was the furthest place away from the main building where she could get, apart from the village of course. All was quiet here and she enjoyed the peacefulness, closing her eyes and listening to the soft breeze and the distant song of the birds. The world seemed to turn more slowly out here. Usually she liked the rush at the house. It kept her busy, it kept her alert and fresh but today she needed the quiet to be able to think.

* * *

><p>It was already getting dark outside and there was still no sight of Mrs. Hughes. They had their supper without her and Charles had even checked her room a second time right after he had finished serving dinner upstairs. The door was still locked and the only person who had access to the spare keys was Elsie. Anyway he would not have entered her private room without her consent. So far he had only been in there twice and not a single time since they had rediscovered their mutual feelings for each other.<p>

He had a look at his watch for the fifth time in the last thirty minutes. It was almost nine and he started to worry but waiting for her return in front of her bedroom door was certainly not a good idea so he went downstairs again. Maybe she had gone for a walk and forgot the time although this was rather unlikely to happen to Elsie Hughes. Then again, this day had not at all been a normal one. Charles decided to try his luck and took his coat from the hook by the door.

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><p><em>Merry Christmas! <em>


	12. Chapter 12

_Sorry for posting chapter 11 twice! Thanks to Onesimus for letting me know! **Here is the REAL chapter 12 :)**_

_A/N I'm surprised that Mrs Hughes was in fact almost as shaken in the real Christmas Episode as I wanted her to be in this fanfic… It felt weird watching the court scenes because I had exactly this scene in mind. Thanks for your reviews so far!_

_I do not own these characters. They belong to Mr. Fellowes and to ITV._

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><p>He had not gone far when he saw her walking along the gravel path that led to the entrance at the back of the house. She seemed deep in thought and did not notice him until he called out her name.<p>

"Thank the Lord you are back, Elise."

She looked at him as if she saw him for the first time. He could tell that Elsie was still dwelling on her thoughts. "I was starting to get worried. It's already getting dark and there was no sight of you anywhere in the house", he added when she finally stood right beside him.

"You've found me now, haven't you?" She wrapped her shawl tighter around her shoulders and did not take his offered hand. Instead she walked past him back to the house.

It took Charles a few seconds to recover from this unexpected reaction and he had to go on a good pace to catch up with her. But before he could ask her another question she had already reached the door, "Good night Charles." For the second time in one day she left him standing dumbfounded in front of a door.

When the first shock about her uncommonly indifferent behaviour towards him was over, Charles followed her inside only to realize that she had not gone into her sitting room as he had expected. The door was still open but the lights were out and the room was as cold and empty as it had been all afternoon. With a worried sigh he carefully closed the door. Then he returned to his own room. It would do nothing good if he followed her upstairs now. She had made it clear enough that she still needed some time to recover. Charles decided that it would be best to wait until everyone else was in bed before taking his chance to talk to Elise again without being interrupted. Although it meant that he needed to enter the women quarters at night which was highly inappropriate. "All good things come in threes", he muttered to himself while taking off his coat.

"Mr. Carson may I have a word?" The sound of Anna's soft voice behind him took him by surprise.

"Of course. Come in.", he offered her to sit down while he preferred to lean against the edge of his desk. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit better, thank you. I was able to get some distraction." And she was able to smile again, Charles thought. "I was just worrying about Mrs. Hughes."

"Indeed you are not alone with your worries", he sighed.

"When she passed me a few minutes ago she looked really pale and did not even notice that it was me." She looked into his concerned face. "Mr. Carson is she still blaming herself for what has happened at court?"

He wished he had been able to answer that question truthfully but he could only guess as well. "I think so, yes. She has taken the day off and I had no opportunity to talk to her yet."

"Please tell her that it was not her fault. I wouldn't have wanted her to lie for Mr. Bates' benefit." Anna stood up, ready to leave the room. "Besides we still have the second hearing and a few weeks to gather new evidence."

It was impressive how this woman could still be so full of optimism and faith though he had to admit that he did not entirely share her hopes after today's events. Even if Marigold Shore would testify for the defence and even if he would find out which role Sir Richard played in all of this, the statements he had heard today were too grave and incriminating. Surely Anna also needed her optimism to endure her daily work and the separation from her husband. Charles wished he could take something of it for Elise. "I will let her know, Anna."

* * *

><p>He silently entered the women's corridor trying to avoid any unnecessary noise. Unfortunately her door was the last one to come and right next to the door that separated the men's from the women's bedrooms. If he had had the key to this door, everything would have been much easier. There was no light coming from the other rooms and when Charles finally stood in front of Elsie's his plan to talk to her tonight suddenly seemed more inappropriate than ever. During the last weeks their relationship had deepened and advanced to a point of which Charles was slightly frightened. When he was younger the thought of it had not caused him to worry at all. But knocking on Elsie's door now and sneaking into her room at night when everyone else was asleep made him nervous. Besides, there was no light spilling through her door. Nevertheless, he could not leave her alone tonight, not after all she had been through so he carefully knocked and anxiously waited for a reply.<p>

At first he heard nothing. The corridor was only filled with the sounds of the night: trees rustling in the summer wind, a hooting owl. Then he heard faint footsteps behind the door and a moment later the light was switched on. Elsie opened the door with a wry comment. "I knew you would find your way to my room sooner or later." And she let him enter her bedroom for the first time in years.

* * *

><p>She had not intended to avoid him all day. It had just happened. Returning to the house late in the evening and finding him out there, looking for her, worrying, had unfortunately added to her self-loathing. She had made a mistake and he was feeling sorry for her. She would not allow that.<p>

It was one of her many faults in character that she had always been stubborn and took everything to heart. This had happened with Ethel, it had been the case with William and also to a large part with Mrs. Patmore and their ongoing discussion about the storage cupboard. But she also could not forgive her own mistakes. Elsie was strict and adamant with herself. If she ever broke one of her own rules, like she did when she fell in love with Charles, she needed to have a very good reason for it! (And she was more than convinced that love was a very good reason to break a rule.) Her dedication to help others, especially her support for Anna, was another thing she took to heart. So the mistake she had made in front of the court was something she bitterly regretted and the guilt was still weighing heavily on her shoulders. She had needed this day to at least get rid of her self-loathing for what she had done.

They stood in the middle of her room for a while unsure who should make the first move. The situation was unfamiliar to both of them. Neither of them wanted to make another mistake by choosing the wrong words.

"I wanted to make sure you are alright", Charles managed to say to the woman in front of him who was just wearing her nightgown. He was more than distracted by that and glad that Elsie did not seem to notice it.

"One could say that I feel better but I am far from being alright, I suppose." She tried to make it sound at least a bit positive. "I have made a big mistake today, Charles, and there is nothing I can do to reverse it. The afternoon made me to think about what I did." Her voice quivered when she spoke the next words. "I bitterly regret that I allowed myself to eavesdrop on that conversation."

All he wanted now was to take her into his arms and comfort her but they still stood two steps apart and Elsie stood rooted to the spot, her arms wrapped around her body. He would let her speak. He would not rush her.

"I thank you for all the support you have given me today but please do not worry about me. Anna is the one we should worry about. Not me." It took all her strength to say these words though she longed to let go of her composed self.

Charles took one step forward to close the gap between them. "Anna would like to let you know that it was not your fault. You had to answer those questions and were obliged to answer them truthfully."

She took in his words with a deep sigh, letting her arms slip away from her sides ready to be held in his arms.

Charles carefully stroked her cheek, wiping away a silent tear, and then kissed her forehead. His arms encircled her and drew her close into a soothing embrace. Her hands slipped underneath his jacket caressing his back. She now realized that in addition to the loneliness she had preferred this afternoon, that she also needed to feel his body close to her to chase away her sadness.

"Everything will be alright", he whispered into her hair.

"I hope so." She looked up, straight into his eyes. There was something else she had thought about all afternoon. The relationship between the head housemaid and the valet had been a secret one for a long time but both had found ways to deal with these inconvenient circumstances. Despite all the obstacles they had to face they had managed to stay together as a couple. Their tragedy had been the trigger to Elsie's and Charles' rediscovered love for each other. And so Anna and Bates had reminded her of all the chances she had missed years ago. Elsie became aware of how short life was, how many opportunities she had missed already. She could not bear it if anything would again destroy their happiness. Until now they had been very cautious and did not feel the urge to rush into a reckless love affair. But Elsie somehow felt that it was time for the next step. "Charles, I wondered if you…", she bit her lip and nervously smiled at him. "…would stay here with me tonight."

It was a relief to hear her say these words and it took away some of his nervousness he had previously tried to ignore. "How could I leave you alone after such a dreadful day, my love?" He placed a soft kiss on her lips before he began to take off his coat.

* * *

><p>The next morning felt like a new beginning. Elsie awoke early with a smile upon her face. Her head rested on his chest which was slowly rising and falling. She could hear his heart beating, feel his warm skin on her cheek. Her hand wandered to his face and she let her fingers trace the fine lines around his mouth.<p>

Charles stirred in his sleep when he felt her soft fingers on his face. When he opened his eyes she was looking down at him giving him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen on her face. "You are still there."

"Why should I have left? You are lying in my bed Mr. Carson", she smirked.

"Indeed?" He shifted his position so that he lay on his side. Her face now so close that he could barely breathe. This moment was just perfect, he thought. In his sweetest dreams he had not been able to imagine what had happened last night. He wondered why he had felt nervous at all or even insecure.

Elsie's lips sealed his mouth for a passionate kiss leaving them both breathless. "I love you Charles Carson", she whispered. These words had been in her head all night long and it overwhelmed her when she finally said them aloud.

"And I love you Elsie Hughes."

* * *

><p>The following week went by without any further incidents. Anna managed to suppress whatever doubts she had and spent her half day off in York. The prison here was so different to the one in Ripon. The labyrinthine corridors were lined with massive iron doors leading to solitary cells. She could hear the inmates scream and shout at each other, smell the nasty stench of sweat that was omnipresent in the whole building. A long corridor led to a large hall with a long table separating the room in two areas.<p>

John sat in front of her guarded by a judicial officer with a young but stern face. His hands were lying on the table, handcuffed. She had pulled off her gloves and reached out to touch his fingers because she longed to feel him after such a long time. It had been weeks since they had last been so close.

"No touching", the officer behind him barked.

John rolled his eyes and she withdrew her fingers but kept them on the table almost touching his fingertips.

"I've missed you", he almost whispered. "How are things over at Downton?"

"It's the usual hustle and bustle." Anna tried to smile. "And I miss you too." More than you can possibly imagine, she thought but kept it to herself. "Mrs. Hughes was really worried about her testimony. I've never seen her so devastated."

"It was not her fault." John inched his hand forward.

Anna answered with a nod. "I told her so. She has been a great support so far." She could almost feel his hand now. Their fingers were only millimetres apart.

"Are there any news about Sir Richard or this maid you told me of?" His index finger finally touched hers.

"Mr. Carson is off to London this week accompanying his Lordship. They will stay at Lady Rosamund's. He promised me to make some inquiries." She held her breath and tried to capture this one brief moment when their hands touched.

"That's good. We still have three weeks time to gather new evidence." She would memorize this smile of the man that meant the world to her forever. There was hope in his eyes although he was locked up in this dreadful place.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you have packed everything you need?" Elsie had fussed with his suitcase all morning as if it was his first time in London. He had done how many seasons already? Charles had actually lost count. Besides, packing a bag for a week's leave was something he did not waste much thought on. He usually had to organize the travel preparations for half a household.<p>

He closed his suitcase. "I'm sure", he answered empathetically. "I will only be gone for a week."

Elsie closed the door to his sitting room to allow them some privacy. "Fortunately, yes. Though I'm afraid I will miss you as if you are going away for the season." She came closer and rested her head on his chest. "Heavens, I sound like a twenty year old lass." Her arms encircled his waist.

"Will this twenty year old beautiful girl grant me a kiss to say good-bye to her then? " She tilted her head back to look at him and he noticed that her cheeks had blushed a bit. His comment had caused the desired effect. Then he leaned in to kiss her. Soft at first but Elsie urged for more and immediately opened her mouth to let his tongue touch hers. Before this kiss became too passionate, Charles pulled away, remembering where they were and that the door was indeed closed but not locked. "I miss you already."

Elsie wiped away an invisible spot on his collar. "Promise me to be careful. Sir Richard is not a man you should have as an enemy."

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><p><strong>Thanks for all your kind reviews so far! TBC soon. Until then: Happy new year!<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N Thanks for reading and staying with me so far! This thing is already longer than my regular term papers were at uni :) and when I go on like this it will get longer than my Master thesis! This chapter is the beginning of the solution. Have fun. _

_as always: the characters do not belong to me. They were invented by Mr Fellowes and their home is ITV (or your DVD player). _

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><p>London welcomed them with heavy rain. The city was grey and black clouds darkened the sky above them. Charles had a hard time unloading the suitcases from their train compartment without getting soaked. At least he got some assistance by of one of the young porters. They had almost finished their work when he stepped into a deep puddle. He bit back a curse and manoeuvred the last one of the bags he still had in his hand over to where he had piled up the others.<p>

"Is everything ready, Carson?" Lord Grantham returned from his phone call. Lady Rosamund's chauffeur would soon pick them up and bring them over to Painswick House.

"We have just finished unloading the bags, milord."

"Very good. It will take a while until the car arrives. Would you mind leaving our luggage to one of the porters?" He waved one of the boys nearer and handed him a sixpence. "I have also telephoned with Downton to tell them that we have arrived safely in London. Cora told me, Mrs Hughes wanted to speak with you. She sounded rather distressed, I'm afraid."

Charles tried his best to hide his worries from Lord Grantham and quickly made his way to the end of the large hall. Fortunately one the newly installed telephone booths was unoccupied. To establish a connection between Downton Abbey and London took ages. Finally someone picked up the phone in his sitting room. He was glad to hear Elsie's voice at the other end.

"I'm glad you found the time to call", she really sounded as if something terrible had happened though she usually managed to suppress her worries in front of the other members of staff quite well. "Anna is seriously ill."

He must have been silent for few seconds. "Charles are you still there?" she asked.

"Still on the line, Elsie", he found his tongue again. "It just took me by surprise. She had been perfectly fine yesterday evening. What did Dr. Clarkson say?"

"Dr. Clarkson diagnosed pneumonia. He believes the stress of the last weeks might have weakened her to an extent we did not realize. Who can blame her for that?" Even though they were hundreds of kilometres apart, he could clearly hear the worry in Elsie's voice.

"Good gracious!" he exclaimed.

"Mrs Crawley came over to help and I will keep you informed if her condition gets worse." Her voice now sounded stronger and more composed. Someone else must have entered the room.

"We will stay at Painswick House. You know how to reach me. Elsie", he hesitated for a moment because he had never said something intimate like that on a telephone. "Take care of yourself. I love you."

He could hear the small smile on her face when she answered. "I will, Mr Carson. And…", she did not end their conversation yet. Obviously whoever else had been in his sitting room together with her had left, because she finished with, "I love you too." Very quiet and almost a whisper though, but she said it.

* * *

><p>Lady Rosamund welcomed them in the entrance hall of Painswick House accompanied by her new ladies maid, Ms Shore. She was a dark haired girl in her mid twenties and observed the arrival of the York relations with a keen eye. Charles sceptically scrutinized her. He had only one week to make his inquiries and he must find something concrete to be able to clear Mr Bates of the charges. The next hearing was their final chance and he owed it to Anna to help her wherever he could.<p>

"Robert, it's good to see you", Lady Rosamund placed a kiss on Lord Grantham's cheek. "Why is it always business that brings you to London? I would have loved to see Mary again."

"Business also involves Mary this time, Rosamund. Still, we should come over to London for a visit all together soon." And while his Lordship went upstairs with the Lady of the house to have a small luncheon, Charles supervised the unpacking of their luggage and made sure to keep an eye on Ms Shore.

The young ladies maid curiously but carefully sneaked about him walking past the open guest bedrooms door all too frequently in the next hour. She apparently felt the urge to talk to him, at least Charles hoped so. It would perfectly fit his plan though and he was eager to find out more about Marigold Shore's friendship with Vera Bates.

When she passed by the door for the fourth time, Charles stepped out to the corridor to intercept her. "May I ask what makes this room so interesting that you walked past it several times now, Miss…" he deliberately did not say her name. He wanted to make sure that she thought him unaware of what she had written to Anna. For her, he was a complete stranger merely a butler accompanying his Lordship.

"It is Miss Shore and may I ask who you are? I think we haven't met before." She was sharp-tongued and obviously did not care about the hierarchy amongst domestic servants.

Charles was a bit taken aback by her impertinent question. "Charles Carson. I have arrived together with his Lordship Lord Grantham." He said with a stern voice.

"Ah, so you are not Lord Grantham's valet then?" She tried to get into the room but Charles was quick enough to block the door.

"Certainly not Miss Shore", this young ladies maid was starting to annoy him. "I accompany his Lordship as his butler. Lord Grantham's valet is, as you might know, under arrest." He dropped his first hint, eagerly observing Marigold Shore's reaction and response to it.

"You are the butler then", she took a few more steps towards him and was now too close for his liking. "I have heard of the valet being imprisoned for the murder of his wife. Is it really true?"

Charles realized that he would not be successful if he stuck to his actual plan. His higher authority and stern voice did not have any effect on this woman. At Downton Abbey all of the servants would have obeyed when Charles Carson was in the mood he was in now. Usually his deep voice made them back off. So he decided to join Miss Shore's little game and let go of his superiority at least a bit. "You have heard of it then?"

"Sure I have. Lady Rosamund is well informed about almost everything that is happening over at Downton and in London of course." She looked up at him. "And they think he is guilty?"

"The jury has not yet decided upon his case. We will have a second hearing in three weeks."

"I see. Do you think he did it?" She now stood so close to him that he could feel her dress touching his knees.

"Mr Bates is a fine man. And even though he had made some mistakes in his past, he is a trustworthy and kind person whom I think incapable of such a disgusting action such as murder." He placed his thumbs in the little pockets of his waistcoat to keep the maid at distance.

Marigold bowed her head a bit as if she had to think about Charles words. "Well, I guess you know him better than I do. I have just heard the gossip."

"Marigold?" Lady Rosamund's voice echoed through the hall. "It would be very helpful if you could for once listen when I rang the bell."

Apparently the Lady of the house had better control over the ladies maid because Marigold startled and rushed off hurrying downstairs immediately. Charles sighed with relief. He would have a hard time to get some information out of this woman.

* * *

><p>When the housemaid had not joined their breakfast in the morning Elsie had sent Daisy upstairs to look for her. The kitchen maid returned a few minutes later in such a hurry that she had almost fallen down the stairs to the servant hall. She was totally out of breath from making her way downstairs so fast.<p>

"Mrs Hughes…", she panted. "We need…", Daisy collapsed on a chair. "Dr. Clarkson. Anna has a fever I think."

The teacup fell out of her hand and spilled the rest of its content onto the wooden table. Elsie's eyes widened with shock. She was on her feet within seconds, giving orders to the other servants while running upstairs. Someone had to call Dr. Clarkson immediately and she needed cloths and warm water to bring down the fever.

Daisy had been right. Anna was fiery hot and soaked in sweat. Her body was shaken by several coughing fits while Elsie waited for Dr. Clarkson to arrive. "Everything will be alright", she soothingly whispered over and over again whilst holding her cold hand and wiping away the sweat on her forehead with a damp cloth. When the doctor finally entered the small bedroom to examine Anna she reluctantly had to let go of her hand so that Dr. Clarkson could examine the young woman.

"It's pneumonia I'm afraid", was all she heard after he had finished his examination and washed his hands. Whatever else he had told her Elsie did not hear. She must have nodded or said at least something because Dr. Clarkson handed her a small bottle of medicine and wrote something down. Then he bid goodbye and left her standing forlorn in Anna's bedroom.

The next thing Elsie remembered was sitting at Charles desk answering a phone call from London. She managed to tell him what had happened although her voice was not always with her and it took her an immense amount of self-restraint not to cry. Especially when Miss O'Brien appeared in the doorway observing her. Her face showed signs of worry but that did not help Elsie much even if she was surprised to see some emotion on the woman's face at all. For that short moment Elsie had to control herself to an almost unbearable extent. It were Charles last words that enabled her to come through the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>She sat at Anna's bedside that day as often as her tight working schedule would allow it. Fortunately Dr Clarkson had left a note with some instructions for her. So he had noticed that she was not paying attention earlier.<p>

The medicine he had left had to be taken every three hours so Elsie made sure she was upstairs at the servant quarters regularly or at least sent someone else to take over this task for her. And she continued to wipe away the sweat on Anna's forehead, managed to make her drink some tea although she could hardly sit up in her bed. At the end of the day the fever was still high and but Anna did at least wake up from her delirium.

"Mrs. Hughes, what has happened?" her voice was barely audible and this one question was followed by a cough attack seconds later.

Elsie reached for a glass of water that she had put on the bedside table. "You need to drink something."

Anna's hands trembled. She was unable to hold the glass steady. Elsie had to lift the glass to her lips so that Anna could take few sips of water. "When you did not appear for breakfast this morning we were worried. Daisy found you in your room with a high fever. Dr. Clarkson was here this morning and diagnosed you with pneumonia, Anna."

Anna tried to sit up in her bed but felt so weak and dizzy that she immediately fell back into the cushions. "But I felt fine last night." She coughed again.

"Dr. Clarkson said that it sometimes breaks out over night but that we should not worry. You need some rest and sleep." She brushed away some sweaty strands of hair that were falling across Anna's forehead. "I will take good care of you." In fact, Elsie would stay in this room all night if she had too regardless of whether she was exhausted and tired herself.

* * *

><p>"We should inform Mr. Bates", Lady Grantham stood at the base of Anna's bed the next morning. She had insisted of coming upstairs to look for Anna though Elsie tried her best to keep her from doing so. First of all she had spent the night on the old wooden chair next to Anna's bed and was feeling rather weary and not up for any discussion and secondly Lady Grantham should not see the young woman in such a state. Luckily Anna was asleep so Elsie was able to gently shove Lady Grantham out of the room.<p>

"But Anna is getting better, isn't she Mrs. Hughes?"

Elsie sighed. "Well, I stayed with her all night and it seems the fever broke." She felt every muscle of her back ache but she did not care. Elsie still blamed herself for her testimony at court regardless of what Anna or Charles had told her. The guilt was still weighing on her. Being there for Anna now, caring for her, nursing her was the least she could do.

"Thank God!" Lady Grantham said with relief. "So what will we do about Mr. Bates then?" They were on their way downstairs.

"Milady I think it would be best if I go over to York to tell him if it is alright with you." This thought had been going through her mind all night already. It would not be easy to face John Bates but it would somehow unburden her.

"Are you sure? You seem really tired Mrs. Hughes."

"I can manage, milady." A short nod from Lady Grantham confirmed their plan.

* * *

><p><em>Reviews are more than welcome, maybe I'm stuck somewhere and did not notice that I'm stuck :)). <em>

_ahh. And one thing I learned recently: Do not watch Downton Abbey in German. The dubbed voices are horrible!_


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N The characters are not mine. They belong to Mr Fellowes and to ITV._

_Thanks for your nice reviews and for reading this thing :). I 3 you._

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><p>The dark walls of York prison loomed in front of her being more than intimidating. If it was up to Elsie Hughes, the look of the building itself should prevent people from committing a crime. No man in his sound mind would risk to get imprisoned in this gloomy building.<p>

She was led through the large oak doors to a grand hall where she had to state her name and her request.

"Are you related to Mr Bates, Mrs Hughes?" she was asked and had to answer with a "no". "Then I cannot grant you permission to talk to the prisoner." The prison ward left her standing in front of his desk and turned his attention back to the large book in front of him.

Despite the depressing and intimidating atmosphere of this place, anger surged up within her. She could not believe what she had just heard. How can a man be so unsympathetic? She was not going to give up so easily. Straightening to her full height she stepped forward again. "Sir, the only relative Mr Bates has is his wife and she is seriously ill." Her voice sounded much stronger and determined now. "So if you would please be so kind and let me see him, now."

The prison ward looked up to her, closed his book and rose from his chair. "Alright then", he sighed. "But you only get five minutes!"

The way towards the common room where inhabitants were allowed to receive visitors led them through an endless number of grey painted corridors until the warden stopped in front of another oaken door. One large wrought iron key was needed to open it.

"You will wait in here while I go and fetch Mr Bates." The massive door closed behind him. Elsie had a look around the room. A large table stood in the middle of it and few windows were set in the upper part of the high walls allowing some of the daylight to brighten the room. Still everything looked dark and uninvitingly. She sat down on one of the chairs and waited for the prison ward to return pondering of how Anna managed to cope with this situation during her visits.

Her thoughts inevitably wandered back to the hearing. Anna's face showed up in her mind's eye, panic-stricken, tears in her eyes, unable to control herself anymore. Elsie heard the words she had said echo in her mind, _I'm afraid he did. Yes. _

* * *

><p>He was surprised to see Mrs Hughes waiting for him in the common room. John had never thought that the prison ward would allow anyone else but Anna and his lawyer to talk to him. However, it was Mrs Hughes after all and he could vividly envision how she persuaded whoever had been in charge this morning in the grand hall that she had a right to talk to John Bates.<p>

A small smile showed up on his face when he was walked into the room, handcuffed as always. "Mrs Hughes what a pleasant surprise to see you here."

He was led around the table to sit on the opposite to her. The smile on his face immediately disappeared when he looked into her face. She was obviously rather worried and her hands were tightly clutching her handbag in front of her. He had never seen the housekeeper so distressed.

…

She did not know how to start the conversation. Five minutes was an awfully short period and she could not allow herself to let her feelings of guilt destroy the little time she had been granted. She was torn between her concern for Anna and the necessity to tell Mr Bates of her illness and the urge to apologize for her testimony. But at the same time Elsie was unable to utter a single word.

It felt like an eternity until she finally managed to say, "Mr Bates it is good to see you."

There was another smile on his face that distracted Elsie. How could he smile while his life was still at stake? "What brings you here?"

She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry Mr Bates. You surely expected Anna to be waiting for you here and not me." This was even worse than standing in front of a jury, she thought. Facing him directly after all what she had said was an ordeal. Elsie had to acknowledge that her twenty years experience of controlling her emotions did not help her in this situation. She felt foolish, guilty, worried all at the same time. Maybe it had not been such a good idea to insist on travelling to York herself.

…

John observed her worriedly. Mrs Hughes had something on her mind and was clearly unable to put it into words. Judging from her appearance it troubled her more than anything else. He could only assume that it had to do with the hearing. He had seen the expression on her face after her testimony for the prosecution. She had been completely beside herself with worry afterwards.

"I would have been very surprised to see Anna today. We weren't to meet until tomorrow. Did something happen?" he tried his best to take away Mrs Hughes uneasiness.

…

Pull yourself together Elsie Hughes, she scolded herself. You are here for Anna and you will tell him now. If there is still time to discuss things, make your apology and then leave. You cannot change what you have done. You have to live with it now and try to make up for it. "I'm afraid there has, Mr Bates. Anna caught pneumonia. We found her with a high fever yesterday morning and called for Dr Clarkson. It's not as serious as it sounds though but still…" she sighed.

His face went blank and his hands that were until then resting on the table in front of him, moved to his face, covering his eyes. "You've come all the way to tell me?" he whispered.

"Yes, it was the least I could do after all that…", she paused and stared at the wooden table in front of her. "After what I said at court. Mr Bates I'm so sorry."

She heard him taking a deep breath, "I appreciate all the support you have given me and Anna, Mrs Hughes. But you need not to be sorry."

Elsie looked up and opened her mouth to object. "Whatever has happened at court that day was not your fault. You just gave an account of what you had heard. I don't blame you. In fact, I am thankful that you travelled all the way from Downton today to tell me about Anna."

His words took a weight off her mind. She had heard almost the same from Anna just a few days ago but it was different hearing them from Mr Bates personally considering that she had incriminated him so seriously.

"Will you keep me informed about Anna, Mrs Hughes and tell her that I would do anything to be with her right now?"

Now it was her turn to offer him a smile. "As soon as I have returned to Downton I will make sure of that."

* * *

><p>Although they had been in London for three days now, Charles had not made any progress regarding Marigold Shore. Their first talk at the day of his arrival at Painswick House had not been carried on yet though the maid seemed eager to always be informed of the latest gossip.<p>

So far Charles was kept busy as Lord Grantham's valet. He had also accompanied him to several meetings that were obviously necessary to settle Lady Mary's dowry. There was no true need for him to be present at any of these appointments but Lord Grantham apparently wanted him to be informed about the future of his eldest daughter.

This afternoon Charles was given the opportunity to have a few hours for himself. His Lordship had meaningfully let him known that he was about to meet Sir Richard Carlisle on neutral grounds to settle some matters concerning the wedding. There was no doubt about it that the two men would also talk about something else though Sir Richard was surely not aware of Lord Grantham's additional requests.

As soon as the motor had left for Sir Richard's stately townhouse, Charles put his plan into action. As far as he knew, Lady Rosamund was supposed to receive visitors in the late afternoon hours. Marigold must be around somewhere he assumed. He checked her room first but the knock on the door was not answered. The drawing room was unoccupied as well and so was the small library where Charles had seen the ladies maid almost every afternoon either reading a book or browsing through the shelves.

His search led him downstairs to the kitchen and servants hall. Except for a busy cook and her kitchen maid this part of the house was also rather empty. Painswick House was incomparable to Downton Abbey where the house was always full with people and life.

Charles stopped his search for the time being and decided to change for his free afternoon first before giving his plan another thought.

* * *

><p>Lord Grantham was relieved that Richard Carlisle agreed to have a late luncheon at one of London's finest restaurants. Talking to the newspaper baron was easier with strangers around them that listened to and observed their conversation. Robert knew that at some point their talk would inevitably provoke an argument.<p>

"Has your visit to London been to your full satisfaction so far?" Richard Carlisle asked after their plates had been cleared away. He took a sip from his brandy.

"Regarding the legal aspects I'm glad to have found a good solution for both you and Mary."

"That sounds rather promising." Carlisle lit a cigar. "Though I guess we will not discuss the details here?"

"Certainly not", Lord Grantham laughed. "You should come over to Downton next weekend. Such talk is better done in familiar surroundings. Though there is something else we should discuss right now."

"What is so important that we have to talk about it now?" Carlisle tasted the brandy for a second time. "They have an excellent wine cellar here. Are you sure you don't want a drink?"

"Maybe later", he decided to directly address what was on his mind. "You know about my valet, John Bates?"

Sir Richard nodded and puffed away at his cigar.

"I gather that your intervention has prevented the newspapers to report about the trial? It undoubtedly spared us a lot of humiliation." this was more a statement than a question.

"You presume correctly. As I become a part of this family soon I thought it wise to use my connections." He grinned.

"I see. Still, you also played an important role in this near scandal." He keenly observed Richard Carlisle's reaction. The man took another sip of brandy and stubbed out his cigar.

"What do you mean, Lord Grantham? It was me who silenced Vera Bates. Otherwise she would have told the story of the Turkish gentleman to half a dozen newspapers."

"I think _silencing _is a rather nicely said compared to what you did."

Carlisle put his brandy balloon down with such force that the liquid spilled on the tablecloth. "I refuse to tolerate such an accusation Lord Grantham! We had a legal contract. Make an appointment with my lawyer and he will assure you that I had the law on my side."

He was not going to give himself away so easily. Lord Grantham had already thought so. "Well you know what I mean, don't you? How can you sleep at night while an innocent man is imprisoned for the murder of his wife, awaiting his trial, most probably hanged for something he did not do?" He pushed his chair back and stormed out of the restaurant. A rather odd reaction for himself but he could not stand the superior look on this man's face any longer.

* * *

><p>When Charles returned from his room, ready to leave the house for a short walk along the riverside, he nearly ran into Marigold who had apparently loitered in front of his door. "Ah there you are." Finally he had use for his plan.<p>

"Did you look for me Mr Carson?" She gave him a wink.

"Actually I was." He tried to make his voice sound softer as if to flirt with the girl though it cost him a lot of self-control. "Lord Grantham has some appointments this afternoon and I was wondering if you would like to take a walk with me?" He hoped his offer was not too obvious.

"What a coincidence! I have my free afternoon today. Let me just fetch my coat and my hat."

She walked down the corridor to her own room. Charles nervously looked at his watch to distract himself from what he was about to do. This was against every rule and most unprofessional, still he persuaded himself that he owed it to Mr Bates and to Anna. Even if he felt uneasy. "Elsie, please forgive me." He mumbled just before Marigold returned.

"Shall we? I know a very nice path along the Thames." She was already on her way to the front door, opening it and waiting for him to follow her. Charles adjusted his hat and followed her out into the grey London summer.

The path was indeed new to him and besides having a chatty young ladies maid walking next to him, Charles enjoyed the fresh air. Marigold had tried to link arms with him in the beginning which he avoided by telling her that it would be most improper. He had already allowed her to spend the afternoon with him and he had made already enough concessions for one day.

"We were talking about Lord Grantham's valet, Mr Bates the other time", Marigold suddenly said when they had sat down on a bench alongside the river. Her voice was quieter than it had been while walking. "Mr Carson there is something I have to tell you."

He was inwardly praying that the ladies maid had a twinge of conscience so that his foolish behaviour had not been in vain. Charles did not reply but waited for Marigold to continue.

"Maybe you know it already but I have worked with Vera Bates." Indeed he knew about this already however he hoped for a more detailed account of Mrs Bates character. Perhaps there was more to discover that could help Mr Bates. He eagerly listened to what Marigold Shore told him.

* * *

><p>He had sent her home afterwards pretending that he needed some time for himself to digest her story. Reluctantly Marigold had agreed, acting like a stubborn child that had just sneaked a secret and did not get a reward.<p>

Gossip was a dangerous weapon if spread by the right people. Vera Bates knew this and she let Marigold in on her plans, willing to use the young woman on her behalf. The ladies maid had told him almost the same story he had heard from Anna already. The woman she described had been full of hatred and thoughts of revenge. She would have stopped at nothing. Although Charles now had a full description of Vera Bates' character he had an uneasy feeling that Marigold was keeping the most important amount of information back from him. There had been a hesitancy in her voice, she had not been able to look into his face while telling her story, her hands were clasped together. Her otherwise frivolous behaviour was completely gone but she did not drop the last veil.

Charles was determined to further investigate the facts later. He still had one hour of his precious time left to silence his conscience. His plan had required to fall back on his acting skills which he had banished from his mind centuries ago. He detested feigning interest in something and later using the information for his own benefit. It was like spying on someone.

Deep in thought, he did not notice where his steps had guided him. So he found himself standing in front of a store he had not entered for ages. Truth was, he did not have the need for the object the shop window was displaying for a long time. He could not help but opened the door, let the little bell above it gently jingle and wished the shop keeper a good afternoon.

* * *

><p>The back door of Painswick House was only accessible if you entered the grounds through the garden door. The entrance was hidden from view by thick ivy twines that over the years had covered the wooden surface of the door. Charles pushed it open thirty minutes before Lord Grantham was supposed to return from his appointments. The rest of his afternoon had turned out to be just perfect and he almost started to hum a tune when he noticed the hushed voices just around the corner where the back door to the house was located. Charles stopped dead in his tracks carefully listening to what was being said.<p>

"Why did you come here!" a female voice hissed. "They can be back any minute!"

"Don't talk to me like that!" the male voice sounded more than aggressive. "He knows about our little secret! What have you told them?"

"Nothing", her voice now a bit terrified. "They know nothing at all."

"You know what I'm capable off? Don't play with me Marigold! Or you will regret it more than you can imagine." And now Charles recognized the male voice as Richard Carlisle's.

* * *

><p>Anna's condition was not improving. Whenever Elsie thought the fever broke it became more intense the next morning. Dr. Clarkson was by now a regular visitor to Downton Abbey.<p>

"There is nothing much I can do for her now. We have to observe her day and night and make sure that she eats and drinks enough. Anna must not lose more weight", the doctor closed his bag and went over to the washing basin to clean his hands. "It is crucial for her recovery." Elsie remained seated in her chair, too exhausted and worried to get up. "Mrs Hughes I know she is in good hands with you but you must also allow yourself some rest."

Dr Clarkson was a good observer. She had in fact not been able to get a reasonable amount of sleep lately because she could impossibly let any of the housemaids care for Anna. But it had not solely been her devoted care that kept her busy and caused her to abandon her daily routine and need for rest. She had not heard from Charles since her phone call four days ago.

* * *

><p><strong>I will soon return to Downton Abbey and have some more CH scenes. Thanks for reading! **


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N sorry for the delay. Too much work at the office. Thanks for all the reviews and story alerts and favourite's so far 3._

_The characters are still not my invention. They belong to ITV and Mr. Fellowes and I hope he has something nice coming up for the third series!_

* * *

><p>"And this is not a suggestion but a doctor's order." He placed his hand on her wrist to take her pulse. "Downton cannot allow itself that their housekeeper devotedly cares for the head housemaid and at the same time jeopardizes her own health!" He seized her hands and helped her to stand up. "I will send you to bed now. You need some sleep."<p>

Elsie wanted to protest. The house already had to compensate the absence of Charles Carson. A sick housekeeper would inevitably result in chaos. "Dr. Clarkson I'm fine." But he had ushered her out of the room so fast that she had to give in.

"Let some of the housemaids take care of Anna for the rest of the day. Where's your room?" He still held her left arm tightly and guided her towards the direction she had pointed.

"Dr. Clarkson I cannot possibly take the rest of the day off. There is work to do." She protested but knew it would make no difference. He let her into her room, urged her to sit down on her bed and once more took her pulse, checked her eyes and reminded her of what had happened to Charles a while ago. When he finally left and had shut the door behind him, Elsie massaged her temples trying to get all the worries out of her head. She had to go downstairs to inform Lady Grantham that she had been forced to take the rest of the day off. Then there was the huge problem of not having enough servants to ensure the smooth running of the household. With her incapacitated, Anna still seriously ill and Charles away in London there were no superior members of staff left. Elsie waited for another ten minutes before she heaved herself up again. Although she rose slowly her vision was blurred for a second and the room suddenly spun around. She gripped the iron bedpost to steady herself until the dizziness ebbed off. _Don't lose control, _she told herself.

* * *

><p>The way downstairs wasn't as easy as she had expected it. She had to pause several times on one of the stone steps, gripping the handrail in an effort not to lose her balance. Maybe Dr. Clarkson was right after all. Elise had not given herself time to rest. She needed to be busy, occupied by her daily tasks to suppress her worries. She thought this was the best cure but obviously she had been wrong.<p>

When she reached the end of the stairs and opened the door to the grand hall, Lady Grantham was about to enter the library. Elsie somehow managed to quicken her pace. "Your Ladyship," she reached her right in front of the door but was completely out of breath.

"Mrs Hughes! Why aren't you in your room, resting?" Lady Grantham had a worried look on her face. "Dr. Clarkson told me he sent you off to bed."

She closed her eyes for a moment to make the room stop spinning. "I'm sorry milady but I did not know that Dr. Clarkson had already informed you. I was about to tell you that I might take the rest of the day off."

"Then do so. I'm sure one of the maids can take care of Anna for today. You must give yourself some rest, Mrs. Hughes. You've already done more than enough." Lady Grantham smiled sympathetically.

"Milady, if I may say so, the house will be without any head of staff for today." She had to inform her employer at least about that. Elsie was not sure if Lady Grantham understood the importance of this fact.

Her statement was answered with a sigh. "Mrs. Hughes. I'm aware of that. Thomas will take care of the male servants and Mrs. Patmore will see that the housemaids are supervised." Elsie felt Lady Grantham's hand on her arm. "And now, please get some rest."

"Thank you milady."

* * *

><p>She was unable to come to rest. Her thoughts were obsessed with at least a dozen possible scenarios that could happen while she was lying in her bed. But more than that she was thinking about Charles. He had occupied her mind almost entirely in the last few days. She had been able to go through her daily routine without being distracted too much. However as soon as she was alone in her sitting room or on the chair next to Anna's bed, she saw his face, felt his hands, heard his voice. Why hadn't he called or send a telegram by now? And then the room started to spin again.<p>

Elsie closed her eyes to drive away the dizziness and her worries. The darkness felt much better than staring at the ceiling. But she also suddenly realized how tired she was and instead of opening her eyes again after the uneasiness subsided she kept them closed. Elsie did not notice when she drifted off to sleep after a while.

_Elsie. She could hear his voice before she saw him, deep and so full of affection. I've missed you. The voice said. She turned around, saw him standing in the doorframe, smiling, arms open, ready to hold her. She ran towards him, felt his embrace, felt his hands stroke her back, felt his lips on top of her head. And when she looked up she suddenly noticed that they were not alone. The old lady was standing right behind them, eyebrows furled, shaking her head. Unbelievable. Inappropriate, she heard her shout before all the other members of staff appeared out of nowhere. Before Lord and Lady Grantham stood beside them, angry looks on their faces. _

She awoke by a knock on the door and held her breath. What had happened? Where was everyone? Why had they all stared at them? Elise looked around. She was still in her room. No one else was there. It had all been a dream. The knock on the door obviously was not and so was the voice that called her name.

"Mrs. Hughes?" Miss O'Brien knocked a second time. "Are you there?"

She got up slowly this time without experiencing any more dizziness. "What's the matter Miss O'Brien."

"There's a telephone call for you down in Mr. Carson's sitting room", she briefly informed her and was about to turn around and leave.

"May I ask who the caller is?" her pulse quickened. It must be Charles on the phone. No one else would requested to talk to her.

"I dunno. I was just sent up to tell you." And with that, O'Brien left her standing in the open door.

* * *

><p>One of the housemaids was waiting next to the phone for her to arrive. "Thank you Bess, you may leave now and please close the door behind you." It had taken her a lot of self-restraint to go downstairs in a proper pace and not rushing down the steps in a hurry. She was too old for such a foolish behaviour anyway. Still, the prospect of hearing his voice again after four days made her nervous.<p>

Elsie sat down before she took up the receiver. "Yes," she hesitantly spoke into the mouthpiece of the telephone, eagerly waiting to hear his voice at the other end of the line.

"Elsie?"

She closed her eyes, relieved to hear him say her name. "Yes, it's me."

"I'm sorry that I did not call earlier." He paused. "London has been rather stressful until today and I had no opportunity to make a private phone call. Mrs. Patmore told me that Dr. Clarkson had been in this morning? Is everybody all right?"

"I'm afraid Anna's condition is still very serious. We are all rather worried about her."

"And what about you? You sound tired, Elsie," there was worry in his voice now. "Mrs. Patmore mentioned that you hardly left Anna's side in the last few days."

She sighed, "To be honest, Dr. Clarkson has ordered me to lie down and I took the rest of the day off. Charles, I might be a bit exhausted but I'm still capable of running this household."

"I would not disobey the doctor's order, Elsie. Promise me to take a rest." He replied with a more serious tone in his voice. "When I return the day after tomorrow I will make sure that you ease up a bit."

Elise inevitably had to smile at these words as they were exactly the same she had used a while ago to make Charles realize that he was close to overwork himself. "All right then, I will stay in my room for the rest of the day and the house will descend into chaos." Her tiredness was slowly easing off. Their conversational tone was something she had missed in the last few days. The simple exchange about their daily routine was like balm for her soul.

"You will be no use to anyone if you do not slow down a bit. Besides I remember pretty vividly that a particular housekeeper once almost forced me to stop working. And because I did not listen to her, I almost got myself a heart attack." It was his turn so smile now.

"Any news in respect of Mr. Bates? I am sure that whatever news there is, they would certainly improve Anna's condition."

"That is the second reason for my call."

"What was the main reason?" she asked although his answer would not surprise her.

She heard him stifle a laugh. "I thought this was obvious."

"Suppose I want to hear it anyway?"

"I miss you," he whispered endearingly. "And I've missed your voice."

"I miss you too, Charles." There was a moment of silence between them before Charles spoke again.

"Concerning the inquiries about Vera Bates I have some very good news." And he told Elsie what he had so far been able to find out.

* * *

><p>Marigold was sitting in front of her vanity, touching up her hairdo. Since Sir Richard had had his unnecessary little interrogation two days ago she had been nervous and irritated. Lady Rosamund had not noticed, she was sure of that. Marigold was a professional when it came to putting on a mask in front of others, especially her employers. Nevertheless, this Mr. Carson was not easy to fool. Marigold had only told him about Vera Bates character so far, about how this mean woman had harassed her husband, played her little games with the younger members of staff, always enjoying it when they were blamed for something they did not do. But she had not mentioned Richard Carlisle at all. Still, she had the feeling that this butler suspected something. She was ready to find it out. Now.<p>

She went downstairs to check if there had been any letters this morning but the little silver tray next to the front door was empty. The involuntary meeting with Sir Richard Carlisle also kept her alert. What if he wrote a letter to Lady Rosamund telling her the truth, ruining her reputation? She had two men to watch now. One was threatening her and the other was calling on her conscience. Marigold could not figure out what burdened her more. She strolled along the wide entrance hall when she heard his deep voice issue from the small drawing room. Slowly Marigold approached the door and opened it a crack. Could this be the chance she had waited for?

"_I will send you a telegram when to expect us. We will take the train at half past eight as far as I am informed. His Lordship wants to arrive at Downton Abbey early in the afternoon." _

There was a pause and Marigold could almost not understand what was said afterwards.

"_I love you Elsie and don't worry. Things will turn out well in the end."_

She heard the familiar noise when the telephone receiver was hung up and hurriedly crossed the hall towards the staircase.

* * *

><p>Charles felt relieved after this call. He just knew that the talk he was going to have with Marigold would reveal some important details. He had to persuade her that it was for her best. Her testimony could change everything. Charles no longer intended to go on with their silly game.<p>

The great hall was empty when he left the small drawing room and made his way upstairs to the servant's quarters. To his knowledge, Lady Rosamund was attending a charity concert and given her ladies maid the day off. All he had to do was finding Marigold and make her talk. Charles knew by experience that this was easier said than done. At Downton he had earned respect from his staff but at Painswick House he was just a visitor with no authorities. But he had his appearance; his voice and a certain sternness that even made Thomas obey to his rules.

He found himself standing in front of Marigold's room just again. This time the knock on the door was answered.

"I already thought you would come up." She led him into her room and shut the door behind her. While Marigold took a seat on the edge of her bed, he remained standing next to the door.

"You can come in," she held her hand out obviously thinking that he would be so foolish to take a seat next to her.

"Thank you Miss Shore I'd rather prefer to stand here while we talk."

She seemed to notice the change in his voice because the previously coy look on her face faded immediately.

"You remember our talk the other day," he approached her, hands crossed behind his back as was his usual habit. "On our walk you told me about Vera Bates. You must know that all the information you gave me this particular afternoon was already known to me."

Marigold flinched. "And now you think that I know more about this woman, do you?" She still managed to make her voice sound strong and persuasively.

"I don't think you understand to the full extent what your testimony would mean for Mr. Bates." Charles stood directly in front of the ladies maid, looking down on her, a stern look on his face.

"Why would it make a difference? I have seen nothing."

"But I have overheard a conversation between you and Sir Richard Carlisle the other night." It was his last trump card.

Her breath quickened and the look on her face changed completely. "What did you hear?" her voice now almost a shrill whisper. And now Charles knew that he could relax a bit and let Marigold explain her relationship with Richard Carlisle.

* * *

><p>Mr. Murray was surprised to welcome Lord Grantham at his office. They had spoken about John Bates earlier that week on the phone but Murray had not been aware that his secretary had actually arranged a meeting.<p>

"Lord Grantham, good to see you", he greeted his guest.

"Mr. Murray I hope I do not come amiss. Your secretary just told me that she hadn't told you about the appointment I had made a few days ago."

The lawyer offered him so sit down in front of his desk. "Lord Grantham what can I do for you. I gather you have some more questions regarding the Bates trial?"

"This is correct although I know that actually Mr. Baker took over the case. Yet, he is in York and my request demands legal measures immediately."

"I see. Well, tell me what has happened and I'll see what I can do for you."

Lord Grantham took a deep breath before he gave his answer. What Carson had told him this early afternoon was simply too unbelievable to be true. Yet the butler assured him that Marigold Shore was to be trusted. So the appointment he had originally made to talk about Mary's dowry would now take a surprising twist.

* * *

><p><em>And in the next chapter they FINALLY return to Downton. Promised! I can't have Charles and Elsie talk on the phone all the time... but I needed to solve some things first :)<em>


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N A weekend without any work. You can consider yourself lucky, because I found time to write! Let's get ready to RUMBLE! _

**Someone will suffer in this chapter. **

* * *

><p>"As far as I know, the story the ladies maid has told us, is true. She had an affair with Sir Richard Carlisle when he had already been engaged to my daughter."<p>

Mr. Murray furrowed his brows. "Are you absolutely sure?"

Lord Grantham nodded. "Absolutely sure. And I need your support and knowledge to tell me what legal measures we can use to break the engagement." He would not allow Sir Richard to ridicule his beloved daughter.

"First of all I need a statement from the said ladies maid, Marigold Shore. Then we also have to talk to Mr. Carlisle."

"I have already made an appointment with him this afternoon and I would like you to accompany me to act as a witness. I want to make sure that he cannot threaten my family after the engagement is off. There is also something else I need to question Sir Richard about." Lord Grantham paused for a moment, thinking about how he should phrase his next sentence to make sure that Murray understood the full impact of the information he was about to give him. "It came to my knowledge that Carlisle was involved in the murder of Vera Bates."

The fountain pen Murray was using to take some notes fell from his hands, rolled over the edge of his desk and tumbled to the floor, spreading ink onto the polished wooden floorboards. "Where did you get this information from?" He was clearly shocked by this news.

"To be honest, this is just an assumption. You see, Sir Richard and this ladies maid had an affair and Marigold Shore had once worked with Vera Bates at my cousin's house."

"Wait a second," Murray grabbed a pencil. "This is getting rather confusing now."

Lord Grantham smiled at this comment. "I know, and it took me a while to understand it myself. But if there is some truth in it, Mr. Bates has wrongly been accused."

"So you are saying that both, Sir Richard and Miss Shore are somehow involved in this case." The lawyer was eagerly taking notes now.

"Vera Bates had threatened my family. She told her husband that she had information about my daughter that would ruin my family. We managed to avoid a scandal with the help of Sir Richard Carlisle. He secured the rights to her story but did not publish it."

"I remember now. We talked about this when Mr. Bates was arrested but back then we did not see a connection." Murray thought for a moment. "Obviously there is one now." He stood up and crossed the room to open the door to his office. "Miss Philips, could we get some tea?" Then he turned around and took a deep breath "I guess it will take us a while until we have talked this through."

* * *

><p>The servant's quarters were so quiet during the day. Elsie lay on her bed, a book in her hands though she did not really read it. The page she was looking at was only a piece of paper where letters had accidentally formed words on. With a sigh she closed her novel and put it on the bedside table. She was trying to get some rest but what Charles had told her earlier about Marigold Shore and Sir Richard had caused a headache. Elise had decided to keep it to herself until tomorrow. She could not possibly talk to Anna now. The poor girl was too sick to understand the importance of this information. Still, what harm could it do to her? Maybe Elsie's words might somehow reach her feverish mind.<p>

* * *

><p>"Carson," Lord Grantham entered the great hall of Painswick House at a smart pace. "I've brought Mr. Murray with me."<p>

Charles almost had to run after both gentlemen to take their coats and hats. Apparently the meeting had been a success. A smug smile crossed his face. Finally they were getting out of this mess and there was hope for Mr. Bates.

The men went into the small library and Charles followed them.

"… so he will actually meet us here then?" Murray was just saying.

"I believe it is better to talk to Sir Richard here where I am in charge, or at least my sister." They took their seats in the two armchairs facing the fireplace. "Carson, can you bring us some tea and two glasses of brandy?"

"Sure milord." Though this was all he should have said at that moment and in his position, Charles decided to take his chance and ask the question that had occupied his thoughts since he had told his Lordship about Marigold this morning. "Milord, may I ask you something?"

"Sure Carson, go ahead."

"Have you found a way to make Sir Richard confess what he has done?" Charles had so far only provided Lord Grantham with the information he had obtained from Marigold. He was not sure if this was enough to threaten Sir Richard. The newspaper baron was a cunning man who had withheld evidence and willfully accepted that an innocent man was facing a trial for his life.

It was Mr. Murray who answered the question. "We have a plan, Mr. Carson and I am pretty sure that it will work."

* * *

><p>When Elsie opened the door to Anna's bedroom, she was surprised to find the girl awake.<p>

"Mrs. Hughes, they told me you were sick as well?" her voice was weak but her face was no longer red from the fever.

Elsie let out a sigh of relief at this sight. "Whatever they have told you, I'm not sick. I just needed a bit of rest." She sat down next to the bed and took Anna's hand. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit better." She reached for the glass of water. "When I woke up an hour ago I could actually sit up."

"We were all so worried about you." Although _worry _was a rather understated term for what Elise had felt for the girl. She had been frightened and deeply concerned that Anna would not recover at all.

"I'm sorry that I caused so much trouble."

Elsie smiled sympathetically. "There is no need to feel sorry."

They looked at each other for a while. Each of them taking comfort from the other's presence. Elsie had never felt so close to any of the other housemaids she had under her jurisdiction. She had lost count how many of them she had supervised since she was housekeeper at Downton Abbey. Only a few of the girls stayed longer than three years. Most of them either got married or decided to look for another, better job in another bigger house. Anna had not. She had come to the house when she was only sixteen. A young, shy, blonde girl of whom Elsie did not expect that she would one day become head housemaid. Anna had always been thorough in her work. She had never broken the rules. She was kind and intelligent and reminded Elsie of herself especially when she recognized that there was a relationship growing between Anna and Mr. Bates.

Anna suddenly felt so secure with Mrs. Hughes at her side. When she had just been a housemaid, the housekeeper was feared as the strictest person on earth. The other housemaids had warned her that Mrs. Hughes never smiles, never makes an exception, never relents and always observes you. In the beginning, Anna had to admit, that the other girls where right but as soon as she became head housemaid, her relationship towards Mrs. Hughes changed. The housekeeper was still strict but only now Anna noticed that the older woman was also fair and caring. Especially in the last few weeks she had gotten to know a completely different Mrs. Hughes. Without her help, Anna would probably have surrendered long ago.

"Mrs. Hughes," Anna broke their mutual silence. "Have you heard from Mr. Bates?"

She nodded her head and began to tell Anna what had happened within the last days.

* * *

><p>Charles was standing with his back to the wall by the door observing the scene that happened in the middle of the room. Three men were standing next to each other, each keeping a respectable distance although their body language spoke volumes. Charles was as tense as the group in front of him, ready to intervene as soon as one of the gentlemen would lose his temper.<p>

"You call yourself _Lord_ though you behave no better than an ordinary filthy intriguer." Sir Richard clenched his fists.

"At least my accusations are based on facts, Sir Richard, whereas everything you told us is comprised of lies! From the first day you set foot in our house you were dishonest, scheming and keen on hooking yourself an aristocratic title!"

Charles raised an eyebrow after Lord Grantham's retort. He had never heard his Lordship used such terms before. Yet, he had characterized his opponent strikingly good. Since the first time he had come to Downton Charles had mistrusted Sir Richard. And his mistrust had been confirmed when he had asked Anna to spy on Lady Mary.

"Facts! You call the statement of a slutty ladies maid a reliable statement?"

"You will not use this word again to refer to Miss Shore!" Lord Grantham almost jumped at Sir Richard and Charles unconsciously stepped forward, ready to intervene. "There are enough people in London you cannot deceive anymore."

"We have a signed statement from Miss Shore. She will make her testimony in front of the court at the final hearing," Mr. Murray stepped in.

"I have not killed Vera Bates!" Sir Richard hissed.

"But you confess that you had a relationship with Miss Shore while you were already engaged to my daughter!" The two men now stood only an arm's length apart and Charles was only a few steps away from the group. The tension in the room was palpable now.

"Heavens. Yes! I could not resist! Besides, your frigid daughter would never have given me such pleasure."

Lord Grantham's fist hit the face so fast that Charles had no chance to intervene before it happened. He could only take a few more steps forward and position himself in front of his Lordship to prevent a fight, when Sir Richard, on his feet again now, counterattacked. He felt the blow on his jaw before he even realized that he had chosen the wrong moment to protect Lord Grantham. For a few seconds he saw stars in front of his eyes but was not knocked down. Then the pain set in.

"Enough!" Lord Grantham grabbed Sir Richard's wrist. "First you betrayed my daughter, then you had the boldness to insult her and now you attacked an innocent man! Mr. Murray you are my witness."

Charles managed to stand still although the pain was unbearable. "Milord," he tried to open his mouth to speak, "I think it would be best if I call the police." In his head he could hear the words loud and clear but it felt as if he had pronounced them rather blurred.

"Carson, are you alright? You should put some ice on it immediately. Let one of the footmen place the call."

He left the room, pressing his hand to his jaw while descending the stairs to the kitchen which was almost deserted. The cook shot him a suspicious look. "What 'as 'appened to your face?"

"Could you get me some ice," he mumbled. "And send one of the boys upstairs to call the police."

* * *

><p>Elise was waiting for their arrival in front of the main door. The train was on schedule and the motor had already been sent to the station a while ago. They must arrive any minute. She would not openly admit it but she was nervous and she could not stop her left foot from tapping restlessly on the gravel. The movement was rather unconscious and she did not even realize it until she heard Lady Grantham's voice.<p>

"Mrs. Hughes is everything all-right?" Her Ladyship stood next to her, scrutinizing her.

"I'm fine. Thank you milday." She forced her foot to stay still. He had only been away for a week, she told herself for the umpteenth time that day. However she had missed him as if he had been away for the season.

Lady Grantham slightly shook her head and let her eyes wander back to the horizon in search for the motor. Elsie hoped she had not noticed the light flush that had appeared on her face seconds after her questioning look.

In the distance the sound of an approaching motor was audible. She automatically straightened her back and waited as patiently as she could for the vehicle to stop in front of the house. Charles got off the front seat, his bag in one hand, and waited for his Lordship to exit the car. He then followed Lord Grantham towards the door.

When Elsie had the first chance to look at him closely, she inevitably did so with a gaping mouth. The skin around his jaw was purple and swollen. She forced her mouth shut before Lady Grantham noticed her irritated look.

"Robert, I'm so glad you are back." She greeted her husband by placing a kiss on his cheek. "Is everything settled now? We haven't heard from you in the last two days."

"We have such good news to tell that we decided to inform you personally and not via a phone call or a telegram." He grinned at his wife and then at Elsie as well. "Mrs. Hughes," she heard him say her name but she was still staring somehow at Charles who stood almost right in front of her now. "Mr. Carson stood up for me in a small fight and then got caught in it himself as you can see."

Yes she could see it, indeed. "Mr. Carson, how did that happen?"

"There is no need to worry about me Mrs. Hughes." He tried to smile but it turned into a grimace.

"Shall we go inside? I guess the others are all eagerly waiting for you and we all want to know what has happened!" Lady Grantham saved them all from this rather awkward welcome.

* * *

><p><strong>Finally! :) Let me know what you think. <strong>


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N The final chapter. Sorry it took me so long to update it but I made this chapter extra long. I already apologize for not including enough Anna/Bates in this fanfic but sometime in the middle of it, the plot developed a private life ;). Hope you liked it anyway._

_As always: The characters do not belong to me. They were created by Julian Fellowes and belong to him and ITV I guess._

* * *

><p>"What in heaven's name have you done with your face?" Elsie was still staring at him every now and then across her shoulder while they made their way downstairs.<p>

"I will tell you later."

She commented this with a snort. "How about _I'm glad that you are back _for a change?" he asked, trying to cheer her up. Almost immediately, Elsie stopped on one of the steps in front of him. He almost bumped into her back.

"I'm relieved that you are back and that you have found a way to disentangle the mess we have been in for weeks now," she said, not turning around to face him. Right now it was impossible for her to let the restrained role of the housekeeper slip off and replace it with Elsie. The place they were standing right now was simply too public although she longed to embrace him and to kiss him. She could feel his free hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She bit her lip before she managed to finally face him.

"We'd better hurry or the rest of them will be up here soon."

Charles stepped down to be on the same level as Elsie. Her breath stopped when she felt his lips on her forehead. "Thank you," he whispered. Her professional self told her to move away from him but she could not.

"For what?" she asked with closed eyes.

"Just for being Elsie Hughes for a moment. I needed that after this week."

* * *

><p>"Mr. Carson, Mrs. Hughes!" Daisy came running out of the kitchen as soon as the two of them finally entered the servant's hall. "You are back Mr. Carson! What has happened to your face? What about Mr. Bates?" The questions stumbled out of her mouth so fast that he almost did not understand a single word.<p>

"Easy, Daisy. Let me just put away my bag. I will be back in a minute." He left the room to drop his bag off in his sitting room.

Elsie stayed behind surrounded by most of the staff, including Thomas and Miss O'Brien. "What has happened to his face?" Daisy asked again.

"If you just wait Mr. Carson will tell the story to all of you," she said with a smile on her face. It was not only her who was relieved to have him back in the house. They were all eagerly waiting for the news he had to tell.

"Now," she heard his deep voice emerging from the corridor before he came back into the servant's hall. "Whoever wants to hear the news should better sit down."

She had never seen all of them taken a seat on their chairs faster. There was an absolute silence in the room and somehow she enjoyed being the only one who at least had a clue what Charles was about to reveal to them now. She inevitably moved closer to him until they almost touched. He cleared his throat and started the story with: "Just let me tell you upfront we no longer have to worry about Mr. Bates."

Faces fell, Mrs. Patmore let out a short "Good lord!" Daisy jumped off her chair but Charles' stern look made her sit down again in an instant, muttering "Sorry Mr. Carson. But this is such good news."

"I know Daisy but I'm sure that the others would like to know why I am so certain of it."

"Have you discovered some mysterious killer then?" Thomas snorted.

Before Charles could react to this comment, Elsie had raised her voice. "Have you no shame?" She could not stand his face any longer although he had been quiet all week and done nothing to stir her wrath. Actually she wanted to go on but Charles hand was suddenly on her shoulder, holding her back. So she just kept the angry look on her face, staring in Thomas' direction.

"Enough! Thomas, if you do not want to know the truth I think it would be best if you leave the room," he suggested. But the footman just shook his head. "All-right." And he told the whole story and ended it with the account of how he got that nasty bruise on his chin. "Sir Richard was arrested immediately and although he still denied to have done it, the police finally managed to get a confession from him."

"This means Mr. Bates is free now?" Daisy inquired.

"No Daisy, not yet. There is still a thorough interrogation necessary and they will have the second hearing." He paused observing their reaction and was pleased to see smiling faces. "Now, I must remind you that there is some work waiting for us." Charles was clearly enjoying this as well, Elsie thought, when she felt his hand brush hers. A small sideways glance followed. Then the rest of the staff was standing up, smiling, cheering, and pursuing what they were doing before Charles had arrived.

"Mrs. Hughes, I think it would be a good idea to tell Anna the good news," he winked at her.

"Very well Mr. Carson. She is much better now and has almost recovered. Dr. Clarkson wants her to stay in bed for the remaining week but I'm sure she would not do so after she has heard the news."

They left the servant's hall and ascended the stairs skeptically eyed by Miss O'Brien.

* * *

><p>Anna could not describe her relief. She sat in her bed, leaning against the bed head and sobbed uncontrollably. He was free? He was not guilty? Everything she had seen in her dream was really true? How could that be? Was she still in a delirium and just did not notice? But she could feel Mrs. Hughes hand on her shoulder and she could hear her talk to her, trying to calm her with reassuring words.<p>

"Anna, everything will be all-right. Sir Richard is in police custody. He has made a confession." Anna tried to control her breathing. So Sir Richard Carlisle had killed Vera Bates to conceal his affair from the public. Marigold shore had confessed to Mr. Carson that she had had an affair with the newspaper baron and that Vera Bates had told her in detail how she would use this affair to blackmail the man. This affair would break his neck. How could one man be so cruel, so heartless and cold? He had tolerated that an innocent man was on trial for his life!

"We better leave you alone now," Charles suggested but Anna grabbed Elsie's hand.

"No please, don't." The sobbing had stopped but she could not be alone. Not now. She needed someone to hold her, even if it was Mrs. Hughes. She needed to understand that everything was over and that she had a future again. A future with the man she loved.

"I can stay with you if you like, Anna." Elsie took her hand.

"Thank you Mrs. Hughes. It's just…," she wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her nightgown.

Elsie leaned forward to embrace her. Anna rested her head on the housekeeper's shoulder, something that a few weeks ago she would never have dreamed of doing. But things had changed.

* * *

><p>"You are joking, Papa!" Lady Mary stood in the middle of her room, one hand pressed to her temple the other on her hip. "I know that he was not the sort of man you and Mama could really envision as my husband, but he was a good match. Wasn't he? I cannot believe that he really did this! Why didn't I notice?"<p>

"Mary, my dear child, no one blames you. No one could see this coming." Lord Grantham tried his best to calm his daughter's nerves.

"So he had an affair then?" she sat down on the edge of her bed. "And killed Mr. Bates' wife?"

"Yes," was his simple reply.

"Does Anna already know?"

"I believe Mr. Carson has told her already." His daughter gradually seemed to relax. "In a few days we will have the second hearing. Richard Carlisle will appear as a witness for the defence and then face his own trial later."

Lady Mary looked at her father, sadness in her eyes. "I'm a fool." Before Lord Grantham could respond she continued, "And I'll better see Anna now."

* * *

><p>After the day's events she had so longed for the quiet of the evening that the glass of wine they later shared in her sitting room was more than welcomed. She sat on her settee while he had taken a seat in the armchair across from her.<p>

"Does it still hurt?" The swelling had subsided a bit after Mrs. Patmore had provided some ice and Elsie had carefully rubbed some ointment on the bruise.

"A bit."

She placed her half empty glass on the small side table and got up, walking the few steps over to where he sat. "Will it heal faster if I put some more ointment on it?" She looked down at him, smiling affectionately.

"Depends on the ointment," Charles chuckled and took hold of her right hand, bringing it to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on her palm.

Elsie took the wineglass he was still holding from his hand and put it away as well. Then she offered him her other hand to help him out of the chair. "Are you ready for some more ointment then?" she asked wrapping her arms around his neck to be as close to him as possible. She placed a soft kiss on his jaw. "Better now?"

"Not much," he replied, resting his hands on her hips.

"Then I must give it another try." And she kissed the side of his face a second time although she longed for more after their week apart. But at the same time she did not want to rush things. She wanted to enjoy this moment as long as possible.

"This was much better. You know how to cure bruises, obviously." He rested his forehead on hers placing a small kiss on the top of her nose. "I have missed you," he whispered and tilted her chin to be able to look into her eyes before he kissed her lips, slowly, enjoying the taste of her skin. But the kiss soon became more passionate, involving also his hands, that moved up to her neck, pressing her face to his. She slightly opened her mouth to make the kiss even more intense. Feeling that this was getting further than their normal exchange of endearments, Elsie moved a few step backwards, leading both of them to her settee. Charles sat down first, still kissing her, and pulled her down with him, caressing her neck with one hand and moving the other a bit further down to open the buttons on the back of her dress. He broke the kiss to catch his breath and to look into her eyes for permission.

"We should not do this in here, Charles," she whispered breathlessly though it did not sound really convincing.

"You are probably right," he smiled. "Though I wish we could." He held her close for a while longer, tenderly stroking her back.

"We can go to my room," Elsie suggested. "But we must be very quiet."

"In regards to what?" he asked, a teasing smile on his lips.

She slightly slapped his chest. "You know what I mean."

* * *

><p>Everything was quiet around them. The moon illuminated her room just enough to make out his features in the dark. Elsie stroked his hair tenderly. He had his eyes closed and his hand was resting on her hip, the other one was lying just next to her face, caressing her cheek absentmindedly.<p>

"I feel a bit ridiculous to be honest," she whispered. "Lying her with you secretly. The two heads of the staff in one bed."

He opened his eyes. "What is so ridiculous about it?"

"I don't know. We are supposed to be their role models. They respect us and our authority what will they think of us if they knew?" she did not know where this thought was coming from right now and blamed today's events. The façade Sir Richard had maintained. The way he had mocked them all the time. He had played his little game with them and she and Charles were also hiding something from the world around them. As much as she enjoyed this _game_, she also was afraid of it to some extent.

To her surprise he did not answer but stood up, walked over to the armchair where his clothes lay neatly folded and took something out of the pocket of his jacket. When he slipped back under the covers, she noticed a little box in his hand.

"Charles, what is this?" She immediately regretted her short moment of doubt and shifted her position so that her head rested against the bed head.

He fumbled with the little box. When it opened she gasped.

"It was supposed to be a birthday present. Elsie, I know that you had some doubts in the beginning. About us. But you gave us a second chance. You trusted me and you believed in us. Please don't worry about what the others might say or think about us." He took out the golden, heart-shaped locket. "I found this in a store in London a few days ago and it made me think of you."

She touched the smooth surface of the small heart. Two letters were engraved in it, an E and a C. Elsie remembered only a few moments of her life in which she had been speechless. Now she could add another moment to this small collection. "Charles, "she started but he stopped her by touching her lips with his index finger.

"Just promise me that you won't worry anymore."

She smiled. "Promised." And she sealed it with a deep kiss.

* * *

><p>Anna was so nervous that she did not sleep a wink last night. Her hands grasped her skirt while they were waiting in front of the courtroom. Elsie sat next to her and tried her best to give her comfort and support but nothing she did would calm Anna's nerves. She had not been able to visit John for so many weeks now. First because of her illness and then no one allowed her to see him due to the upcoming hearing.<p>

Today they would learn the truth about Vera Bates' death. Hopefully without any more scandals or unexpected revelations. Anna stared out of the window opposite of her because she could not look into the faces of the people that had accompanied her today. Mr. Carson had been summoned as witness for the defence a second time so had his Lordship. Mrs. Hughes had insisted on coming with them to be there for her.

"Anna, don't worry." Mrs. Hughes took hold of her hand and prevented her from grasping her skirt again. The fabric was already creased. "They will find Sir Richard guilty, not Mr. Bates."

"Thank you Mrs. Hughes." She whispered. "Thank you for everything."

The doors to the courtroom swung open and they slowly entered the large room. Anna was now glad that she could lean on Mrs. Hughes. She had not noticed that her knees where so weak.

* * *

><p>He was led into the courtroom by two police officers but they had at least removed the handcuffs. Like the last time the first thing he did was searching the room for her face. So large was his relief to see Anna sitting on that bench that he let out a deep sigh which irritated the police officer to his left. He tightened the grip on his arm and nudged him to his chair to sit down. But John did not care. Today he would finally be released. He was sure of it.<p>

Mr. Baker had been the only person allowed to see him in the last few days. They had discussed their strategy over and over again, rehearsed all possible questions of the prosecution and came to the agreement that John should not attempt to answer any questions too detailed. Sir Richard was a serious opponent who, regardless if he had confessed the homicide in front of several witnesses or not, was still able to outwit the jury. It was his daily business to make his readers believe any news he printed be they true or not.

John was ready and he felt even more up to today's interrogation when he made eye contact with his wife. Anna smiled at him and warmed his heart.

* * *

><p>They started the interrogation by calling Lord Grantham to the witness stand. This time for the defence.<p>

"Lord Grantham you are here to support your employee Mr. John Bates who had been charged with murder. In our first hearing we did not have the opportunity to draw on witness statements that had a direct connection with the case. Something the prosecution obviously did not care about at all. So far this has been a trial based on circumstantial evidence. But we will change this today."

The defence started the interrogation with a simple question.

"Lord Grantham, I understand that you had some time to make inquiries in London about a certain Sir Robert Carlisle."

"Yes, that is true."

"What did you find out?"

Lord Grantham faced the jury. "I found out that Sir Richard Carlisle had an affair with a ladies maid that now works for my sister and because Vera Bates had found out about it and tried to blackmail Sir Richard Carlisle, he decided to kill said Vera Bates."

Some of the jury members gasped. One even let his pencil drop to the ground where it landed with a loud thud. The court room was quiet and the atmosphere tense now.

"That is a very surprising turn in the case, Lord Grantham. Do you have any witnesses that can confirm your statement?" the defence asked next.

"Yes, my lawyer Mr. Murray was with me when Sir Richard Carlisle confessed that he had an affair with the ladies maid. Concerning the other confession, Mr. Carlisle made this in front of two police officers."

"We have no further questions."

* * *

><p>Anna was relieved that the first testimony had been a success. She was finally able to relax a bit. Her gaze had been fixed on her husband's face throughout his Lordship's statement and she would have given her life to be able to sit next to John right now. She so longed to hold his hand and to tell him over and over again that everything would be all-right.<p>

She risked averting her gaze from him for one moment to look at Mrs. Hughes. The housekeeper had not let go of her hand since they entered the court room but after Lord Grantham's interrogation her hand had suddenly loosened its hold. It was now absentmindedly touching a golden locket Anna had not noticed before. Mrs. Hughes never wore any jewellery. Her other hand was almost touching Mr. Carson's. Anna smiled at the sight of it and wondered if they were aware of their closeness.

Obviously they were not because Mr. Carson somehow realized that Anna was looking at them and withdrew his hand so that it rested on his knee again. He cleared his throat and stared at some detail at the court room wall. Anna felt a bit guilty that she had destroyed their moment of privacy. She knew how difficult it was to control one's feelings in front of so many people. She wondered how the housekeeper and the butler had managed to keep their relationship a secret for so long anyway.

The next minute her attention was turned back to the hearing when Marigold Shore was called to the witness stand.

* * *

><p>Charles skeptically observed the young ladies maid that was now standing right in front of them. She tried to hide her nervousness by clasping her hands together in order to stop them from shaking. Any other man might have pitied her but he knew that this was a wasted thought. Marigold Shore was responsible for what she had done and especially for holding back crucial evidence. Had they known of her involvement in the case at the first hearing everything would have gone a completely different way.<p>

The defence started the interrogation. "Miss Shore you knew the late Mrs. Vera Bates?"

"Yes your honor."

"Tell us about her. But keep it short."

They all listened to the story Marigold Shore had to tell. Charles hoped that she would tell them the truth now. He heard how Elsie held her breath when Marigold gave an account of how Vera Bates had threatened her. He could imagine what she thought when he heard Marigold say "She was just mean and revengeful. She provoked everyone with false accusations." It was exactly what Vera Bates had done to Mr. Bates while they were having the conversation in Elsie's sitting room. What she had overheard that day was part of a perfidious tactic to provoke her husband. No wonder Mr. Bates had threatened to strike her. Charles felt how her hand touched his thigh searching for comfort and he gave it to her by letting his thumb stroking the back of her hand. It was just a small gesture but it had the desired effect when he noticed the small smile on her face.

* * *

><p>John was more than relieved when Marigold shore had finished her story. She had given an exact characterization of his dead wife and he knew that this would convince the ten members of the jury. It was no longer just him who spoke of his wife in front of the court. They had listened to another acquaintance of Vera Bates, one that was neither married nor friends with his deceased wife.<p>

The next witness the defence called put him on alert. Sir Richard Carlisle was led into the court room accompanied by a police officer. John tried to ignore the smug face. Two people had already testified against him. He could not win over the jury.

* * *

><p>When Anna saw Sir Richard's face she found it hard to remain seated. That man had caused her so much pain and had almost destroyed her life. How could he stand up there smiling to the jury? She felt Mrs. Hughes hand on her shoulder again, squeezing it and she tried to relax. When Sir Richard started to speak she closed her eyes to avoid looking at him while he answered to the questions of the defence.<p>

"Mr. Carlisle, you are here as a witness today." The defence started. "Please tell us about your relationship with Vera Bates."

"There has never been a _relationship. _She sold me a very nice story and could not accept that we had made a contract in which she transferred the rights of her story to my newspaper."

Anna could somehow feel his stare on her. She could block out his look but not his voice.

"But then she threatened me. She tried to blackmail me because she found out about the affair I had with this careless ladies maid."

"You are not here to pass judgement on other people. Please keep that in mind and stick to the facts," the defence interfered.

"Well as I told you already, Mrs. Bates tried to blackmail me and I'm afraid she regrets it now."

He had absolutely no conscience, Anna thought. He was talking about a human being, a woman Anna had not liked much but she had never wanted Vera Bates to die.

"What do you mean with 'she regrets it now'?"

"Like I said. She would not listen and she paid the price."

Anna opened her eyes to look at him and to see if his face reflected the sound of his voice. It did. She saw a crooked smile on his lips.

"You admit that you were involved then, that you killed her?" the defence asked now. The room was completely quiet. Everybody was anxiously waiting for Sir Richard to answer and to confess in front of the jury.

"I did not kill her. She killed herself."

If it had not been for Mrs. Hughes and the firm grip of her hand on Anna's shoulder, the head housemaid would have jumped up and shouted at Sir Richard. The court room came back to life with murmur until the judge asked for silence.

"You better remain seated, Anna. It would not help Mr. Bates at all. Just ignore what Sir Richard has said," she whispered and Anna had to bit her lip and clutch to the wooden railing in front of her to calm herself down.

The defence managed to react to this unexpected answer with a skilful counterquestion. "So you made a false statement then?"

"It depends on how you read the police report I would say", Sir Richard replied, still self-confident in his role as the innocent victim.

"The fact is that you told the police that you were in Vera Bates flat the day she died. You threatened her and you got violent. I quote _She was again threatening to ruin my life. She planned to tell the newspapers about my affair so I pushed her and she fell down on the floor. When she stood up again she coughed and I handed her a glass of water. After that I left. _

Why did you first push her only to help her afterwards? Mr. Carlisle this makes no sense."

The self-confident expression on his face started to change, Anna noticed with satisfaction.

* * *

><p>They waited outside for what felt like an eternity. Elsie could not stand still and paced back and forth along the corridor. In the end the hearing had not been as obvious as she had expected it to be. A small doubt remained that the jury might still find Mr. Bates guilty. Sir Richard had actually managed to not further incriminate himself. Her hand encompassed the small golden heart around her neck. She could feel the engraved letters underneath her thumb and it somehow calmed her down a bit. But it could not make her stop pacing.<p>

"Mrs. Hughes," she heard Lord Grantham address her. "You should better sit down."

She looked at him, perplexed that he had spoken to her. "I'm fine milord, thank you."

"No you are not. You are worried, like we all are and I would not want you to collapse." He took her hand and led her over to the bench to sit next to Charles.

"Thank you milord." This was embarrassing, she thought. His Lordship should not feel responsible for her like that. It was Anna they should be worried about. A few minutes earlier Charles had already tried to make her sit down, but she refused. It kept her mind busy and she could at least distract herself a bit from their current situation. Now she was distracted by sitting next to Charles and not be able to simply take his hand. Instead she kept the locket in her hand.

* * *

><p>The tension in the room was palpable now. They were all standing and waiting for the jury to return to their seats. When the backdoor opened all heads turned in its direction. Slowly the ten men entered the room and the judge addressed one of them to announce the verdict.<p>

Anna instinctively searched for Elsie's hand and was glad that the housekeeper once more gave her comfort.

"Have you reached a verdict on which you can all agree?" the judge asked.

"Yes, your honor."

"Then please proceed."

Now Elsie was in need of support as well and dared to slip her hand into Charles'.

"We find the prisoner…" Anna fainted next to Elsie. In the last minute Lord Grantham managed to catch her before her head collided with the edge of the wooden bench. "…not guilty."

It was over. He as a free man! For the first time in years, he allowed himself to cry although there were too many witnesses present. He did not care at all because what mattered most was that he could finally start his new life.

"Mr. Bates. We will bring you back to York prison now so that you can get pick up your personal belongings. After that you are free to go." The judge told him but he did not really listen.

"Can I see my wife first?" he asked and his request was granted with a nod.

He made his way through the leaving crowd over to where Anna had sat a few minutes ago. "Anna!" She was sitting between Lord Grantham and Mrs. Hughes. Her face was white as a sheet but at least there was a smile on it when she saw him.

"It's over," she whispered.

"Yes, thanks to his Lordship and to Mr. Carson it's finally over."

* * *

><p>A week after the end of the trial, Mr. Bates was finally back at Downton. The house as complete again, Elsie thought relieved. Their only problem now was to find a decent accommodation for the young couple. The fact that Anna and Mr. Bates had recently married was completely forgotten over the course of events and she had not thought of it either.<p>

"I'm afraid you will have to stay in your old room Mr. Bates as long as we have not found a solution for the two of you." She informed him when he had cast off his coat and hat. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry Mrs. Hughes. We will manage. What is more important is that you and Mr. Carson supported Anna so much. I cannot thank you enough."

Elsie allowed herself to embrace him. After all the young couple had been through she could not simply stand back and pretend that it did not affect her. Besides the last weeks had made her realize that although it was crucial for her position to maintain her authority amongst the staff, from time to time she had to rely on her heart instead of her mind. "It was the least we could do, Mr. Bates."

"I'm afraid I have to tell you that there is work to do." Charles interfered but with a gentle voice instead of his usual stern demeanor. "His Lordship wants to see you, Mr. Bates."

"There is nothing else I would prefer more right now than to return to my work, Mr. Carson." The two men exchanged a smile before the valet made his way upstairs.

"And for the rest of you the same applies." Elsie dismissed the rest of the servants that had welcomed Mr. Bates home. Especially the younger housemaids could not wait to follow Mr. Bates upstairs. They were curious about the trial. Elsie and Charles had told them only what had been necessary. Only Miss O'Brien reluctantly left the servant's hall.

"I'm glad that this is over, Mr. Carson." Elsie looked up at him and got lost in his eyes. This trial had not only changed the life of Anna and Mr. Bates or the way all of them now thought about the young couple. Their marriage had been accepted by Lord and Lady Grantham without further doubts. It had also changed Elsie's life completely. She was no longer afraid of looking at Charles for a moment too long or touching his hand while others may witness their small exchanges of endearment. It was merely a matter of time before their relationship was discovered and until then she enjoyed the secret looks they shared when no one was around, his knee that touched her leg at every meal and the hours spent in either his or her sitting room after everyone else had gone to bed.

"Everything is back to normal, Mrs. Hughes. Almost." She felt how his hand took hers and she saw the glimmer of happiness in his eyes. "But some things better stay the way they are right now. Don't you agree?"

"I totally agree Mr. Carson." She gave his hand a squeeze and then noticed Miss O'Brien standing in the doorframe, observing them with a haughty look on her face.

"What is it Miss O'Brien? Aren't you supposed to be upstairs?" Elsie did not let go of Charles hand. She even moved a bit closer to his side.

"Just observing, that's all." She slowly turned around towards the stairs.

Charles mumbled something she did not understand but it sounded like '_of all people_'. "Charles," she tried to draw his attention back to her and when he finally looked into her eyes, she continued, "I do neither care what O'Brien has seen or heard nor what she thinks about us. It might not be appropriate in her eyes but it is in my. Whatever she tells his Lordship will not change my feelings for you."

He smiled at her and took her hand up to his lips to place a kiss on her palm. "Promised?"

"Promised."

* * *

><p><strong>THE END<strong>

**Thanks to all you of who have read this, liked it, reviewed it. **


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